Bark at the Moon
by Sasuke10
Summary: A Ninja with a mysterious background joins Team 7 right before the Chunin Exams. Temporarily, of course. Atleast, Naruto hopes anyway. However, if they work well as a team together... they might just be teammates PERMANENTLY. God help Naruto if so.
1. The New Teammate

**Chapter 1: **

**The New Teammate**

I stared at the three idiotic Genin. I growled inwardly. I had been sitting here the whole time, glaring at all three of them, and they STILL hadn't noticed me. A few times it seemed like the Uchiha realized something was up, but never did he challenge me or stare at me pointedly. They all stood on a bridge not very far from the tree I hid in, the pink-haired idiotic girl saying something about how she hadn't blow-dried her hair today, followed by the blonde idiot, clad in an orange jumpsuit that looked like it was WAY to hot for this weather, saying something bout how he hadn't brushed his teeth today.

I shook my head. Idiots. ALL of them.

I sat crouched in the tree I had already been in for an hour, and waited along with the Genin down there. Finally, the gray-haired Jonin appeared, saying something about how he had gotten lost down the 'Path of Life'. Wow. What a lame excuse to be late.

"Well, anyway... This is sudden but... I've nominated you three for the Chunin Selection Exams."

There was a pause.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY? YOU THINK THIS MAKES UP FOR-" The pink haired girl began, but was again cut off by the Jonin.

"Here are your applications." The Jonin handed a slip of paper to all three of the team members. Suddenly, the orange clad kid freaked out.

"Kakashi sensei, I love you!" He shouted as he leaped up and tacklde the Jonin.

"Hey stop! Let go of me!" The Jonin growled as he pried the kid loose. When the kid settled down and looked at the application happily, the Jonin continued.

"Though this is just a nomination. All three of you have the choice wether or not to accept it. Those who wish to take it should fill the application out and turn it in to Room 301 by 4 PM tomorrow. Oh, and for the exam you'll have an additional teammember." There was my cue.

I leaped out of the branch and landed lightly on the bridge beside the Jonin, leaning against the railing, my eyes closed. I smirked as the team freaked out at my appearance. Then, I opened my eyes, causing them all to freak out again. Well, except for the Uchiha. He only narrowed his eyes at me, but otherwise he didn't seem to really care. My piercing yellow eyes glared at no one, but I dared any of them to say something, and, of course. The orange clad idiot did.

"What's with the freak?" He asked, and my eyes quickly shot over to him.

"Freak?" I snarled, baring my teeth at him. His eyes widened in shock and I snarled. "I'll have you know I can rip you limb from limb in two seconds flat."

I could hear his heart as it sped up, and could see the Uchiha's eyes glint in anticipation out of the corner of my eyes. The Jonin cleared his throat, and I suddenly remembered his name. Kakashi, that's right.

"Right, well guys. This is your new teammate for the exams. Her name is Koinu Hashitaki. Koinu, meet Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki." He said as he first motioned to the Uchiha, then the pink-haired girl, and then to the blonde idiot.

I studied the three seemingly for the first time ever.

The Uchiha had light gray eyes and pitch-black hair, which made me hate him all the more. I hated night. Atleast around people. He wore a blue shirt and white shorts, his headband was tied firmly around his forhead. Sakura had pink hair that ran to the bottom of her shoulder blades. She wore a pair of blue-green shorts underneath a red dress that split at the sides. She wore her headband like it was a hairband, and her eyes were two innocent green pools. She striked me as a weakling, easily. The blonde idiot, Naruto Uzumaki, wore an orange jumpsuit thing, with his headband tied firmly around his head. He had two sparkling blue eyes, though they were cautious of me right now.

While I analyzed them, they analyzed me.

They analyzed my jaw-length pitch-black hair. My headband tied firmly around my forhead, and most of all: My piercing yellow eyes. I wore a pair of black pants, and a black shirt, though I wore a brown jacket over that, unzipped. I had pockets in side of my jacket, filled with scrolls and pills and tools and things of the such. I yawned and adjusted my headband slightly, my tongue running over my canines as I yawned.

"Sensei... this chick freaks me out." Naruto mumbled.

"She seems like she'd bemore of a burden than anything too." Sakura chirped in.

I snarled, causing them all to look at me.

"Sakura...doesn't that mean something like cherry blossom? I'd have to say you're probably the weakest ninja here right? Even this idiot of a blonde kid could probably beat you down in two seconds flat, right?" That seemed to hit right on it's target. Her eyes dropped to the ground, though Naruto growled.

"What's your deal? You walts in here and act like you can do whatever you want!" He yelled, and I smirked.

"Because compared to you three, I'm like a god." I said, my yellow eyes resting on him and daring him to do something about it.

Which is, of course, what he did.

"Why I oughta!" He growled as he pulled a kunai out and charged me. I stood there calmly, hands in the pockets of my jacket.

I ducked underneath his arm as he lunged forward to stab me. I took a step back and smirked as his leg slammed through the air, right where I had been a second earlier. Naruto growled in frustration, only causing me to chuckle in amusement, before I stood up straight. He lunged at me with his free hand, and I stood calmly. I waited until his hand was a few inches from my face, before my left hand snapped up and caught his hand. I then brought my foot up and kicked the hand that clutched his kunai, sending it spiraling across the bridge and in to the water below.

I smirked before pivoting and kicking him in the stomach, sending Naruto skidding across the bridge, and slamming his back in to the railing. He groaned and slid to the ground, glaring at me, I only smirked in response, before looking at Kakashi and holding out my hand. He handed me my registration paper, and I turned to look back at my new teammates. I smirked at Naruto, then at Sakura, and then alstly at Sasuke. Sasuke smirked back. Huh, he was the only one who had ever smirked back at me. My smirk grew. He would be an interesting kid.

"I think I remember you now. Naruto Uzumaki, the kid who acts like no one can beat him. The kid who put graffiti all over the Hokage's faces. The kid who failed his graduation exams, what? Three times? Oh yeah, not to mention the kid who'll do anything to get attention for himself because he was shunned as a kid. Well, let me tell ya." I then turned my eyes back on Naruto, though they were filled with more... malice this time.

"You have no idea how little the pain you've felt is, compared to others." I snarled, and my eyes darted for a split second towards the Uchiha. So this was the last kid of his clan, huh?

"Well, see ya tomorrow, kiddos." With that, I disappeared to take a break for the rest of the day.

* * *

><p>I arrived the first of anybody. I showed up about an hour after the sun had risen. I climbed and sat on one of the roof's supporting beams, lounging around and waiting. Many people showed up, a bunch were stretching and hanging out outside. I rubbed my face, my registration papers in my jacket pocket. My temporary teammates, atleast hopefully they were temporary, were nowhere to be seen from where I could see anyway. Then I heard Naruto's annoying voice. Man, if these guys became my new permanent teammates, I sure hope he hits puberty quick. Otherwise, I'll smack his annoying little mouth off of his face.<p>

"Hey, Sakura!" His voice was like nails on a chalkboard, even if I couldn't see him.

"Oh, uh... hey." She replied back, and I narrowed my eyes. Something was a little... off with her today.

"I can't wait for this thing! There's gonna be a lot of strong guys!" He laughed, and went off in to some daydream and began chuckling to himself, and then I spotted them as they walked underneath me.

"Speaking of strong people, where's Koinu?" Sakura asked, I smirked. That was my que. I leaped down silently and landed lightly behind Sakura. I tapped her shoulder, and she flipped out. When she spun around and saw that it was me, she glowered. "Don't scare me like that!"

I shrugged. "Sorry, can't be helped." I then shouldered past her and began walking through the academy towards room 301. Man, it'd been a while since I'd walked through there. Probably like, what? 3 years? Maybe 4 now? Longer than these newbs anyway.

As we reached the second floor, I was surprised to find a scene going on with two kids whow ere like, two years older than me. They seemed to be trying to keep the weaklings out of the exams. I narrowed my eyes at the sign over the door. It read 301, though I knew it was room 201. I smirked, and looked at the kids. These guys had to be proctors or something. I watched as a kid with a weird hairdo and thick eyebrows rushed one of them, only to get knocked back.

"Hehe, you think you'll be able to pass these exams with strength like that?" One of them smirked.

"Well, actually yeah. I think I could." I piped up. The few people who had been standing in front of me turned and diverged to make a path between me and the 'Genin'. It seemed that everyone in the room was now looking at me.

"Yeah, and while you're at it you should take down that illusion. We are, after all, only on the second floor." Sasuke chimed in, only a step behind me. I smirked. So he had noticed it too huh?

One of the 'Genin' smirked. "So you saw through that, huh?"

"Yeah, and you two proctors might wanna scurry along... I'm fairly certain that there are some rather pissed off kids here." I snarled, my eyes glinting dangerously. The proctors narrowed their eyes at me and smirked.

"Congratulations to the freaky yellow-eyed girl and the only Uchiha left in Konoha." One of them laughed. I growled dangerously. "But sadly, you still haven't proven your worth to me."

One of them disappeared and suddenly reappeared behind Sasuke. His eyes widened in surprise, but he acted quickly. He spun around and blocked a punch aimed for him. The proctor smirked before pulling his shoulder back for another punch, and Sasuke retaliated by going in for a kick. However, the punk kid who had his butt handed to him (the one with the eyebrows) leaped in between them. His hands shot out, catching Sasuke's leg and the proctor's arm. He didn't flinch, and his arms barely even moved from the weight of the impact. I raised an eyebrow. Impresive.

The boy pushed Sasuke's leg and the proctor's arm away, causing them to stand naturally. He shrugged his shoulders, as though he was just now feeling the pain from the weight of their attacks.

"I don't believe the Hokage would exactly be... happy at ruining his Academy." The kid replied coolly. I narrowed my eyes. Like anyone in this room cared. He shrugged his shoulders again and turned around, walking back to his team members. I narrowed my eyes, before turning to look at Naruto and Sakura, Sasuke a few feet from beside me.

"Alright, guys. C'mon. Let's hit the third floor and show all these losers how it's done." I smirked, causing Naruto to laugh with me the first time since I'd met him. Which, _was _only yesterday, but still. It's the thought that counts, right?


	2. A WRITTEN Test? Seriously?

**Chapter 2:**

**A WRITTEN test! Seriously?**

I rolled my neck and shrugged my shoulders, about to hit the stairs and climb to the third floor, before the unibrow guy in the green jumpsuit walked over to us. He ignored me, Sasuke, and Naruto. Instead, he was loking and smiling straight at Sakura.

"My name is Rock Lee. So yours is Sakura..." He said, blushing lightly. I raised an eyebrow. Did he seriously... have a... a... crush on Sakura? Suddenly he broke in to a huge grin and winked at Sakura, bringing his right hand up in a thubs-up. "Let's go out together. I'll protect you til I die!" I stared at him calmly.

And then busted out laughing. I clamped a hand over my mouth, though I was still having fits of laughter. I wasn't laughing because he'd asked her out, I was laughing because she was such a freak. How could someone like a girl who was such a freak and slut? Naruto's face dropped, and he looked devastated. I smirked and looked at Sakura, who seemed like she was going to die.

"No... way... you're lame..." Lee's face fell, and his head hung in shame. Naruto chuckled lightly, his face rising in false hope once again.

I narrowed my eyes and stopped laughing once I felt a set of eyes resting on me, or near me. I glanced around before spotting the source of them. However, they were looking at Sasuke, which was fine with me. I recognized him as must having to be one of Lee's teammates.

He wore a tan shirt and brown shorts, followed by bandages wrapped around his legs. He had dark brown hair that was tied in a loose ponytail, hanging down his back. He had two thin trails of hair running down beside his face, under his headband. His eyes were light purple, though there was no iris. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Hey you. What's your name?" He asked, smirking challengingly at Sasuke.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and smirked. "When wanting to learn someone's name, you should give them yours first." He replied cooly.

"You're a rookie right? How old are you?"

"I don't have to answer to you."

And with that, the two spun away from each other. I rolled my eyes. Apparently nobody had noticed me, which was good. I didn't need nor want attention. I yanked on Sasuke's arm, and grabbed the back of Naruto's jumpsuit. I jerked my head down the hall towards where the stairs where, motioning for Sakura to follow me. After we started walking I released Sasuke.

"Come on, Uchiha. Don't let the popularity rush to your head... I could still kick your butt."

"Whatever." He muttered calmly, shoving his hands in to his pockets.

We strolled down the hall, before it opened in to a large room. I growled, looking around for the stairs and releasing Naruto. I snarled in frustration. It'd been too long since I'd last been here. I used to know this place like the back of my hand, and now I was getting lost in here!

"Hey you! Guy with the dark eyes!" I growled in annoyance, and Sakura snarled as we all turned around.

"What do you want?" Sasuke sighed in frustration, all of us glaring at Lee as he stood on the edge of a landing over us.

"Will you fight me here and now?" He asked calmly. I rolled my eyes. 'Course he wanted to fight Sasuke. The last Uchiha in the village, the only other Uchiha alive being a rogue.

"A fight right now?" Sasuke asked. I sighed as Lee answered yes, and watched as he proceeded to jump off of the landing and land in front of us. I sat down on the floor, leaning back against the wall.

"My name is Rock Lee. When you want to learn a person's name you introduce yourself first right?" He asked as he jabbed a finger in the air towards Sasuke. "Sasuke Uchiha."

"Heh, so you know?"

"I want to fight you. I want to test my techniques... against the offspring of the genius Uchiha." Lee announced as he bent his knees in a fighting position. "Plus..." He glanced up and looked at Sakura, before winking again.

"EWWWW! THOSE LOWER EYELASHES ARE EWWW!" i shook my head. Of course she'd be shallow enough to judge someone based on something so stupid as _eyelashes._ God forbid the kid had weird eyelashes. He just met you and is willing to die for you, but oh noooo! He's has freaky eyelashes!

"Hair style is lame... and those thick eyebrows..." I almost punched her then and there. Looking back on it now maybe I should have.

Lee kissed his hand before blowing it towards Sakura. "You are an angel!" I laughed a short, curt laugh. Sakura slammed back, her head smacking on the floor as she dodged Lee's floating kiss thing.

"Challenging me knowing the Uchiha name... frankly you're a fool. You're about to learn, what this name means Bushy-brows." I looked up at Sasuke with a calm face. I couldn't wait to have an excuse to fight Sasuke on fair grounds myself.

"Wait." I groaned inwardly. His voice is SO annoying! "I'll take care of Bushy-Brows. Just give me five minutes." I practically died of trying not to laugh. Naruto was gonna get killed!

"WHo I wish to fight is not you... it is Uchiha." Lee growled.

"Damn it! I'm sick of hearing about Sasuke!" Naruto screamed as he charged lee, right hand clenched in to a fist. Lee stood calmly as he watched Naruto rush towards him.

Lee took a light step forward, before sending Naruto's fist away with an easy block. However, the strength caused Naruto's fist to slam in to the ground, palm down. Naruto snarled and brought his left leg up to try and kick Lee that way. However, Lee ducked and moved in a circle, his left leg shooting out and slamming in to Naruto's side as he yelled "Leaf Whirlwind!"

"Whoa!" Naruto yelled as he rolled across the floor and slammed in to the wall.

"I'll say this... you guys cannot defeat me. Because right now, I am the strongest of the Leaf Genin."

"Sounds fun, I'll do it." Sasuke said, smirking. I raised my eyebrows slightly before smirking. I was next if Sasuke lost, this kid was a whimp.

"Don't think that just because you beat the flunk over there that you can beat us." I piped up, smirking at Lee in challenge. He glanced at me, before looking back at Sasuke.

"Sasuke don't! We only have thirty minutes until the meeting!" Sakura suddenly moaned.

"I'll be done in five minutes!" Sasuke said, as he charged Lee, much like Naruto had.

"Sasuke!" Sakura rotested before sighing in defeat.

Suddenly, Lee was a blur as he leaped in to the air and spun around. "Leaf Hurricane!" He shouted. His left leg shot out, and Sasuke quicky ducked. I smirked as Lee's right foot came around lower, and forced Sasuke to block. I chuckled once as Sasuke was caught off guard as Lee changed slightly and his foot was closer to himself than Lee had thought. Lee's foot slammed straight in to Sasuke's face, and sent him flying a few feet away.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted.

"Shut up for god's sake!" I growled at Sakura, and she finally did shut up. "Thank god!"

Lee smirked as he straightened up and watched Sasuke get to his feet. I watched Sasuke intently as he finally stood up, and raised my eyebrows in surprise as his eyes changed to bright red with two black swirls around the irises. Sharingan. So he had it, huh? Nice bit of information to know. Sasuke blinked before charging towards Lee again. I almost smacked him. The same move wasn't gonna work! And then suddenly Sasuke flew in to the air. I blinked in surprise. Holy crap! Lee was fast! in less than the blink of an eye he had appeared underneath Sasuke and had kicked him underneath the jaw. Sasuke coughed and I watched as blood trickled down his chin.

"Yes, my techniques are neither Ninjutsu or Genjutsu." Lee confirmed Sasuke. Naruto groaned as he finally came to.

"Sasuke!" He shouted as Lee leaped in to the air and appeared to become Sasuke's shadow.

"Shadow Leef Dance!" Lee shouted.

Lee and Sasuke must have had some conversation going on in the air as Lee brought his hand between Sasuke's back and himself, and jabbed the tips of his fingers in to the small of Sasuke's back. Suddenly the bandages around Lee's hands slowly unraveled. Then suddenly, a shuriken whizzed through the air. It hooked on Lee's unwrapped bandage, before sticking to the wall. Lee's arm jerked back, followed by his shoulder and then whole body.

"That's enough, Lee!" I turned and was surprised to find a giant turtle sitting on the ground. I blinked multiple times. What. The. Hell? I turned back as Sakura shouted Sasuke's name and ran after him as Sasuke fell like deadweight through the air. Sakura skidded across the ground and caught Sasuke, before crawling back a few feet.

"Are you alright, Sasuke?" Sakura fussed over Sasuke.

"Lee! That technique is forbidden!" And then I spaced out.

I smirked. So that kid was mainly a taijutsu user then. Something different to challenge my strengths on. l was literally shaking in excitement and anticipation. I blinked and looked back up as an exact replica of Lee suddenly appeared on the turtle that had been scolding Lee. However, the man was obviously older and taller. Lee's sensei then. Ugh... weirdos. Naruto and Lee had some spat about freaks or something rather, and I laughed as this Gai sensei person punched Lee in the face. I shook my head and stood to my feet, ignoring Gai and Lee and crossing to stand right in front of Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto. I watched as Gai turned finally and looked at us.

"Hey, guys... How's Kakashi doing?" He asked.

"You know Kakashi sensei?" Naruto asked, causing Gai to chuckle.

I watched and caught a blur of movement before Gai appeared behind us. It didn't surprise me. I turned around and found that by the shocked look on their faces, the other three hadn't been able to see the blur before Gai moved. Apparently I was the only one in our group, and even then he was still, very fast.

"People often refer to us as eternal rivals." Gai chuckled. "50 wins, 49 losses..." I watched as Gai smiled creepily like Lee had done earlier. "I'm strnger than Kakashi." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah right. You? Stronger than the copy ninja? Maybe at arriving on time." I snorted.

"I'm sorry about Lee. I swear by this beautiful face that it won't happen again. Now, you guys and Lee should head over to the classroom." I narrowed my eyes and watched Gai. As the other three turned and shoulder passed me, we continued facing each other. And then he disappeared. "Good luck, Lee." Were his last words. I narrowed my eyes. Did he know? Is that why he had been so interested in me?

"Sasuke, I'll say one more thing." Lee began as he tied his bandages back up. "The truth is, I came here to test my abilities. I lied earlier. Most likely the strongest leaf genin is on my team. I've entered this to defeat him... and you're also one of my targets. Be prepared during the exam!" Lee shouted as he leaped back on to the landing and disappeared.

"Sasuke..." Sakura muttered.

"Oh well." Naruto sighed.

"Get over it, Uchiha. One loss isn't gonna kill you." I snarled.

"The Uchiha Clan ain't much these days." Naruto just had to open his big mouth, huh?

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted.

"Ga. Shut up." Sasuke muttered. "Next time I'll beat him."

"Sure... you just got your ass kicked." Naruto muttered, despite Sakura's yelling. "You saw his hand too. Bushy-brows must have trained really hard every day. More than you. That's all it is."

Sasuke clenched his hands tightly, before letting them go slack. He then smirked. "This thing is getting fun... this Chunin Exam."

"Ready to go guys?" I asked, shouldering passed Sasuke. Naruto smirked and Sakura nodded.

"Hell yeah!" Naruto shouted, Sasuke nodding too.

"Then let's go!" I smirked.

* * *

><p>We strolled down the hall, the REAL Room 301 only feet away.<p>

"Oh! So Sakura came too. Now we can properly take the exam." Kakashi's calm voice cooed down the hall.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"The truth is that this exam can only be taken by groups of three-"

"Then why'd you have me join!" I snarled.

"Because, honestly, I thought Sakura wouldn't join us (isn't that a shame? I growled) and you needed a team."

I rolled my eyes. "I could've done it myself."

"Sure you could have." Kakashi sighed. "Anyway, if I told you the truth, Naruto or Sasuke would have pressured you in to joining, Sakura. Even if you didn't want to, if Sasuke had asked you... you would. Even if it wasn't in your heart. For the sake of Sasuke... and well, Naruto too."

"What do I just, not exist or something?" I muttered. Kakashi sighed.

"You really are a headache."

"I'm just getting started."

"Well, anyway. You guys showed up by your own will. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura... you guys are my proud team! Now go, and good luck!" I rolled my eyes and stormed in to the room by myself. Of course, nobody cared about me. I was the extra burden of weight. I heard Kakashi sigh in exasperation, and quickly I took a seat by myself, so that I didn't have to deal with Sasuke, Sakura, or Naruto. Maybe I could just ditch them now.

I spaced out for a while, only alert to my immediate surroundings and being sure that nothing was going to hurt or attack me. I watched other activites going on, and observed people. Never did I turn around to pay attention to my 'teammates' or anybody associating or socializing with them. Atleast unless they said my name, which was a few times. Suddenly, Naruto's nails-on-chalkboard voice drowned everything else out.

"MY NAME IS NARUTO UZUMAKI! I WON'T LOSE TO YOU IDIOTS! YOU GOT THAT!" I blinked, and looked over at him like everyone else, and gave him a death glare. He met it, and flinched. He knew I wouldn't hesitate to leave his butt for dead if I had to. I then turned back and continued to ignore them. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and a cloud appeared at the front of the classroom. I blinked and looked up as a man in a black trench coat followed by tons of Chunin or higher ranking ninjas appeared. I blinked and narrowed my eyes, scanning up the rows of examiners.

"THanks for waiting. I'm Ibiki Morino, the examiner for the Chunin Exam's first test." He reached out in front of him and pointed a gloved finger out at us. I realized I was the only totally calm one in the room, my head resting on my folded arms. I was also at one of the chairs by the aisle, and in the second or third row of desks. "Hidden Sound guys, stop doing as you please before the exam. Do you want to fail already?"

I turned and found that the three sound ninja, one in a weird coat, where beating up the kid that had hung around with Naruto and the crew. I smirked. Serves them right.

"I apologize, this is our first time... we got, carried away." The one in the coat apologized. I rolled my eyes because he obviously wasn't sorry.

"Here's a good oppurtunity to say this. There will be no fighting without the permission of the examiner. Even if permission is granted, killing your opponent will not be tolerated. Those pigs that disobey me will fail immedietly. Do I make myself clear?"

"Heh! This exam is sounding easy." The other boy of the sound ninja's sniggered. I watched as in one, smooth move all of the proctor's smiled.

"We will now start the first test of the exams. Instead of your current seating arrangements, you will pick one of these tabs and sit in the seat assigned to you. We will then hand out the exams." THere was a collective silence, before Naruto hollared again.

"WHAT! A PAPER TEST!"

* * *

><p>Once I received my number, I took my seat and found that I was in the first row, on the seat directly by a window. I twiddled my pencil in my hand, staring at the turned over test in front of me. I didn't even look up once Ibiki started talking.<p>

"Don't turn your tests over. Listen closely to what I am about to say." He said as he took a piece of chalk in his hand and I assumed began writing something on the board. "There are many important rules to this first test. I'll write it on the board while I exlpain, but questions will not be allowed, so listen carefully." I cracked my neck, but didn't look up.

"First rule, you guys will all start off with ten points. The test is made up of ten questions and each one is worth a point but, this test uses a subtraction system. Basically if you answer all the questions right, you keep your initial ten points. But say if you miss three questions, you will lose three points and end up with a total of seven points.

"The second rule. This is a team test." My heart sunk. Great. I was thrown with those idiots! Of course! "Wether you pass or not will be determined by the combined score of your teammates. So each team will compete to see how many points they can hold on to from the initial team total of thirty." Or in our case, I guess forty. I don't know, either way they had to make it to where it was equal right? I'd let them figure it out.

"Wait a second! I don't get this point system either, but why is it a team test!" Sakura's voice shot out of the quiet room. I sighed in exasperation.

"Shut up, you have no right to question me. There is a reason for this, be quiet and listen.

"Ok, and now the most important rule. The third rule is that during the exam, anyone caught by the testing officers doing sneaky activities, namely cheating... will have two points subtracted for every offense. So there will be some who will be caught cheating and be asked to leave. Realize that the pathetic ones that get caught will be destroying themselves. As shinobis trying to attain the level Chunin, be proud ninja.

"And now the final rule. Those that lose all their initial points or don't answer a single question correctly... will be failed along with their two teammates." I almost just wanted to kill myself then and there. We will NEVER pass now. Naruto was gonna make us flunk! This was just a waste of my time.

"The exam will end in one hour." My life here seemed to slowly be ticking down. Why was I even here if I was only going to fail?

"Begin." And this was the beginning to the end of my Chunin Exam experience for the year.

Just perfect.


	3. The Tenth Question of Death

**Chapter 3:**

**Question 10: The Tenth Question of Death**

This. Test. Is. Seriously. Rigged.

I glared at the paper and sighed in frustration. I couldn't answer a single one of these questions! I had graduated, not at the top of the class, but I was in the top ten in all but the ninjutsu and taijutsu applications spots, in which I did graduate at the top. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Ok, calm down. I could do this! I opened my eyes back up and stared straight down at my paper, though I nibbled on the end of my pencil.

Ok, so I had to answer one of these questions. I had nine of them that I knew I couldn't answer, but Question 10 said: "This question will be revealed 45 minutes after the test begins. Listen to the examiner closely before answering." I sighed. Maybe that would end up being my last ditch effort. Or maybe not. I dropped my pencil on the desk and placed my fingertips on my temples, thinking and concentrating.

Ok, so we were taking this test, that's immensely hard. I was pretty smart and I couldn't answer a single one of them! It seemed to take me hours of thinking before I opened my eyes and glanced over to my left... at the proctors. They were staring down the rows in accusation... like they knew we were gonna cheat... and then it hit me.

_"Ok, and now the most important rule. The third rule is that during the exam, anyone caught by the testing officers doing sneaky activities, namely cheating... will have two points subtracted for every offense. So there will be some who will be caught cheating and be asked to leave. Realize that the pathetic ones that get caught will be destroying themselves. As shinobis trying to attain the level Chunin, be proud ninja."_

I smirked and picked up my pencil again. So that was it, huh? We were challenged and dared to cheat, with all of these Chunin and possibly Jonin watching and scrutinizing us. Watching our every move. We were supposed to slip by them and cheat, without being caught. I blinked when a sudden voice boomed from behind me, and rolled my eyes. Wait, my perfect chance. I dropped my pencil 'accidentally', aiming so that it rolled down the table and over my neighbor's paper.

Growling as if in annoyance, I slammed my hand down roughly, though quietly, on top of his paper. My hand tingled slightly, before I grabbed my pencil and smiled apologetically, still looking at my paper. "Sorry." I whispered to him. I cracked my neck and gripped my pencil tightly, before channeling chakra in to my hand, and through it in to the pencil. Quickly, I began scribbling the answers from my neighbor's test on to mine.

You see, I could channel chakra in to a point on my body, and copy any information in to that spot, where I could channel it through that spot in to something else and then copy it. In this case, through my pencil and unconcously copying the answers. I coughed and stared at the few blank questions I had on my test. I shrugged mentally. Oh well, I'd have to deal without them. Then, there was a thunk on a table somewhere behind me. I turned slightly, just as a kid shot to his feet.

"What was that for?" The kid shouted, and I turned as a proctor began talking, only to find out he'd been one of the ones that had held us back from the fake Room 301 earlier that day.

"You messed up five times. You fail."

"No.. no way."

"The two on his team, get out of here. Right now."

I sighed and layed my head on the table, and glanced at the clock. 30 minutes left. 15 until the tenth question. I closed my eyes and waited calmly for the time to pass. I listened to the scratching of pencil on paper, and then got fed up with it. I sat back up and opened my eyes, glancing over Ibiki only to find him... staring at me? I returned his gaze calmly, and he smirked to himself. I narrowed my eyes as he looked away from me, before cracking my knuckles. Finally he interrupted the class.

"Ok. We will now start the tenth question." I rolled my eyes. Why else would he interrupt us during the test? "Now, before we get to it... I'd like to go over the added rules for this question." I blinked. What the hell? ADDED RULES! I was freaking out on the inside, but kept my calm composure. He said something about doll playing to a student who came back from the bathroom, but I wasn't paying attention.

"Now, these are the rules of desparation. First, for this tenth question, you must choose wether to take it or not." I blinked and smirked. Well then, I just wouldn't take it! This kid next to me seemed to have a nice brain on his shoulders, so I'd leave my chances with him. "However... if you choose not to take it, your points will be reduced to zero, and you'll fail... along with your two teammates." I blinked again. Okaaay, then I'll take it and just guess! Some voices shouted before Ibiki continued.

"And now, for the other rule. If you choose to take it and answer incorrectly... that person will lose the right to ever take the Chunin exams ever again." The blood roared in my ears as I looked down at my paper. My composition was still in contact, however it was going to slip quickly. If I missed this... I would never be a Chunin. I took a deep breath and looked up, to find Ibiki staring right at me. His eyes seemed to be taunting and challenging. Challenging me to fake out and quit... to be a failure. I put my pencil down and leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest. Never, never in my right mind would I quit. Never, ever. I returned his gaze with a glare, causing him to smirk again and look over the rest of the class.

"However, I am giving you a way out. Those who wish not to take the tenth question can choose not to and try again next year." My heart thumped in my ears again. If Naruto, Sakura, or Sasuke dared to be spineless, I woul kill them all. I shifted in my seat so that out of the corner of my eye I could see all of them.

"Now, let's begin the tenth question. Those that do not wish to take it, raise your hand. Once your number is confirmed, leave with your teammates." I gnawed on my lip, nervous as hell. I watched as one hand shot in the air, and slowly a steady stream formed of spineless weaklings. I watched, in slow motion horror as Sakura's hand slowly rose off the table, her eyes on Naruto. I almost threw a freaking kunai at her then and there.

And then Naruto's hand shot in the air. I blinked in shock. My heart completely stopping. Then, his hand slammed on the table.

"DON'T UNERESTIMATE ME! I WILL NOT RUN! I'll take it! Even if I'm a Genin forever! I'll make myself become Hokage so I don't even care! I'm not afraid!" I smirked slowly and turned back to the front. Naruto, that idiot. Atleast he unerstood that to become the greatest... you had to take risks.

"I'll ask you again, your life is riding on this decision. This is your last chance to quit." Ibiki replied calmly.

"I don't go back on my word, that's my ninja way." Naruto replied smirking. Ibiki studied us for a few moments, before smiling.

"Good decisions, now to everyone still remaining... I congratulate you on passing the first test!" I blinked and stared at Ibiki, as if he was pulling our leg.

"Wait... what do you mean? We already pass? What about the tenth question?" Sakura asked. Ibiki then explained that there was no such tenth question, and that the earlier nine had been to test your information gathering skills. I growled loudly and glowered at him. What the hell! What a waste of time!

I looked up as he said something about how information can be more important than life and watch as he removed his headband/bandana. I was composed still, but his head shocked me. Horrible bruns, screw holes, and scar tissue spread across his head. I blinked in shock. He had been tortured... and then I blinked again. It happened alot I guess. He began a speal on how dangerous missions couldn't be avoided, no matter what. I closed my eyes and smiled as I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest again.

And then suddenly a spinning black form crashed through the window. Quickly I leaped to my feet, a kunai in hand. Then suddenly kunai with the black fabric attatch shot out at four angles, each slamming in to the wall and clinging there. I blinked and stared as the fabric twisted out to reveal a girl of no more than 20, maaaaybe. The fabric had red writing, though i couldn't see what it was passed this girl.

She had light black hair pulled back in a spiky ponytail. She wore a gray jumpsuit sort of thing, though it went to her md-calves only. She wore a pair of brown shorts over it. She also had gray shin protectors over her ninja sandals. She wore a long, tan rain coat, and a rope necklace with a tooth tied to the end. Her eyes were a light brown. I blinked and then sat down, though my kunai was still in my hand, which was in my lap.

"You guys! This is no time to be celebrating!" She shouted. I blinked and glared at her. I already hated her. "I am the examiner for the second test! Anko Mitarashi! Now let's go! Follow me!" I stared at her as if she was retarded along with everyone else. A sudden thought struck me. She reminded me ALOT of Naruto. She scanned over all of us, before glaring at Ibiki.

"79! Ibiki! You left 26 teams! And an extra one!" I flinched at the term and almost ripped her throat out then and there. "The test was way to easy this time!" Anko shouted.

"This time, there area lot of outstanding ones." His eyes flashed quickly to me and a few other before returning to Anko.

"Bah, that's fine. I'll atleast cut them in half in the second test." I smirked and cracked my neck. Now here we go! Maybe we'll finally get some action! "Ahhh I'm getting excited. I'll explain everything once we've changed places. Follow me." She was shaking slightly in something. Anticipation maybe?

* * *

><p>I stared at the large, and uberly long gate. Passed that was a dark, evil feeling forest. I blinked and realized my hands were shaking in anticipation. I took a deep breath and calmed myself. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and I were at the front of the group of kids who had passed.<p>

"Welcome to the stage for the second test. Practice Arena 44, also known as the 'Forest of Death'. You'll soon find out why it's called the Forest of Death." Anko smirked. I blinked and looked at Naruto as he laughed harshly once.

"You'll soon find out why it's called the Forest of Death." Naruto said in a bad imitation of Anko's voice, and then returned to his annoying normal one. "You think that scares me? That's nothing! I'm not afraid!"

"Yeah... you're spirited." Anko said, smiling. Suddenly, a kunai shot out from her coat sleeve and she caught it in her right hand. She threw the kunai towards Naruto, however it only cut his cheek. Suddenly she darted behind Naruto. I leaped behind Naruto, a kunai clutched in my hand before she could get there. My back to him, I glared at Anko as she appeared in front of me. I held my kunai up near my face.

"Get away from me and my team. I don't care how high ranking you are, my teammates (no matter how stupid or annoying) are off-limits." I growled, and I was surprised when it sounded more feral and animalish than normal. Anko blinked in surprise, and I watched as some ninja with a reed hat on darted over and handed Anko her kunai, though she held it with her tongue. I snarled in disgust, before Anko turned back to me.

"You'll get killed by your idiocy." She said harshly at me.

"I beg to differ."

Anko smirked. "Seems we have an interesting one here." Then she walked back to the front and held up a huge stack of papers. "Now before we start the second test, there's something I need to hand out. You must sign these agreement forms. There will be deaths in this one, and if I don't have you sign these it will all be my responsibility." Then she laughed lightly. An eerie wind passed over everyone.

"I'm going to explain the second test, then you can sign it afterwords." She motioned towards a nearby stand with two guys standing there. "And then each team will check in at that booth behind me. "Now I'll explain the second test." She handed Naruto the forms. He handed it to someone, who passed it on until everyone had a paper while she continued on. "Simply put, you'll attempt the ultimate survival test." I smirked. Easy as pie.

"First, I'll explain the area in which it'll take place." She let a scroll unroll in front of us, which had a map on it. "Around practice arena 44 are 44 locked gates. Forest, river, and a tower in the center. From the gates to the tower is about ten kilometers. During the survival in here, you will be asked to complete a certain task. Using your many weapons and jutsu, you will compete in a... no rules scroll battle. You will fight over these two scrolls, Heaven and Earth." She held a white scroll with 'Heaven' written on it, and a black scroll with 'Earth' written on it.

"There are 79 of you here, meaning 26 teams and a lackie." She looked around and I coughed loudly.

"I'm part of a team, dip-shit." I snarled and she smirked.

"Then just 26 teams. That means half of you will receive the Heaven scroll, while the other half receives an earth scroll. To pass this test, your team must make it to the tower with both scrolls. But there's a time limit. THis test will end in 120 hours, exactly 5 days."

"FIVE DAYS! WHAT ABOUT DINNER!" Some kid asked. Anko shrugged.

"You're on your own. There's plenty of food in the forest. Just watch out for the man eating beasts, poisonous insects, poinonous plants, etc. And 13 teams passing is not likely! As the days go on, the distance to the goal will become farther, and the time to rest will become shorter. And the area is crawling with enemies, you won't get much sleep. So not only will some fail by losing the scroll... But some will die from the harshness of the course." I watched as she looked at me, and I cockily smiled back at her. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the group.

"Now, I'll explain what will get you disqualified. First, those that don't make it to the tower, with both scrolls, in the time limit fail. Second, those who lose a teammate or have a teammate killed. As a rule, there is no quitting in the middle, you will be in the forest for five days. And one more rule, youmust not look inside the scroll until you make it to the tower with both."

"What happens if you do?" Naruto voiced.

"That will be a surprise for anyone who does. A chunin will be asked to carry classified information. This is to test your trust-worthiness. That is it for the explanations. Exchange the three forms for your scroll, then choose a gate to get ready for the start."

Me, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura waited a few minutes, before crowding in to the booth. Quickly we signed the papers and turned them in. The man behind the desk handed me the heaven scroll. I looked at my other teammates for objection, and then quickly stuffed the scroll in to a secret pocket in my shirt. We walked out calmly, and initially I chose a gate that was surrounded by teams on all sides. Sakura, however, along with Sasuke and Naruto dragged me to Gate 12 which wasn't surrounded as bad. I mumbled in annoyance, before cracking my knuckles in determination.

"The second test of the Chunin Exams now begins!" Anko's voice cascaded around us. As soon as the gate shot open, Team 7 darted forward and in to the forest.

* * *

><p>Less than five minutes of running in to the forest, there was a scream that pierced the forest. We stopped in a small clearing. I sighed and leaned against a tree.<p>

"That was a human scream, right? I'm getting a little nervous." Sakura admitted stupidly.

"This... this is nothing, Sakura." Naruto said calmly. Then he sighed. "I gotta take a piss." He turned away from us and began unzipping his pants before Sakura punched his head.

"What are you doing in front of a lady! Do that in the bushes!" Sakura growled. Naruto groaned, before walking in to the bushes to pee. I glanced up at the sun. It was only a few hours passed noon.

"Ahhhh I feel much better." Naruto groaned in pleasure as he walked out. I watched him as Sakura scolded him again, before blinking. Something, was off. Then, Sasuke slammed his fist in to Naruto's face. I smirked. He noticed it too.

"S-Sasuke, you didn't have to go that far..." Sakura said, and I snorted as I walked to the front.

"It's an imposter, idiot. The kunai pack for Naruto is on the wrong leg, and there's no cut from earlier on his cheek. The fake Naruto slammed in to a tree, and sat there for a second, before smirking. He changed back to his original form in a cloud of smoke.

He had wiry black hair, and pale skin. He wore a tan mask thing over his eyes, and a weird thing over his mouth that broke down poisonous gas or something like that. He wore a weird tan suit thing too. "Unlucky! You figured it out, oh well! Which one of you has the scroll? I'll just take it by force then!" He shouted as he dashed at us. I grabbed a kunai and ran forward to meet him. Sasuke did a string of hand signs, before leaping in to the air. Suddenly he sent a burst of different fireballs swirling through the air towards him.

He dodged the fireballs and leaped in to the trees, however me and Sasuke pursued him quickly and without hesitation. I heard Sasuke pause as he must have spotted Naruto or something, but I continued my pursuit of the enemy. He turned around to glance at us, and I took a chance and pushed off my tree branch. His eyes widened in shock as I grabbed his shin. I fell over his branch, dragging him with me. He growled in annoyance and grabbed the branch, forcing us to hang from the branch, him being the only one in charge of wether or not we sat there like that.

The kid released the branch as a kunai thrown by Sasuke whirled through where his arms had been earlier. He slammed his foot in to my shoulder, but I yanked his body down so that he slammed in to the ground, me on top. He coughed and blood spurted from his mouth. I pulled a kunai from my pack, and brought it to his neck, before hearing Sakura gasp. "You're going too far!"

"This is how it has to be done!" I shouted, but Sakura had distracted me. The kid slammed his foot in to my stomach, kicking me off. He then leaped to his feet and rushed me. Being off balance, I only had one choice. My kunai slipped from my fingers, and I cursed under my breath, before channeling chakra in to my foot. I slammed it on top of my kunai, before kicking my foot out at the kid. He dodged my kick, however my kunai sunk deep in to his shoulder. I smirked, he hadn't seen my concealed kunai. I regained my balance and spun around, before slamming my left palm in to the hilt of my kunai, making it dig deeper.

He shouted in pain, and I smirked. Sakura gasped, and I turned to tell her how this had to be done again, but the kid pulled away quickly, and ran. I snarled and began to pursue again, but Sasuke grabbed my right arm.

"Chill, he's gone." Sasuke said. I growled in annoyance, before following Sasuke back to our original spot. We sat down, and Sasuke took a deep breath.

"Ok, so I think we need a password in case we get split up again. If they get it wrong, assume that their an enemy, no matter what. Listen carefully, I'll say it only once. The nin song, 'Nin Machine' when this is asked, answer with: 'A large amount of loud enemies is the friend of the shinobi, hide and remain silent. A shinobi must understand the proper time, when the enemy is tired and ill prepared.'" I blinked.

"How in the hell do you expect me to remember that?" I asked questioningly. Sasuke shrugged. Sasuke stood up.

"I'll take the scroll." Sasuke said.

"No way in hell." I snarled venomously. Sasuke rolled his eyes and shrugged. I looked up, the sun was setting. It'd be night soon. "We need to set up camp." I said, and Sasuke looked at me oddly.

"Why?"

"I am NOT wandering around here in the dark." I snarled and leaped in to a tree. "I'll take the first watch, and I'll wake someone in a few hours. I said, grabbing a kunai and sitting on the tree branch calmly. I made sure that no sunlight touched me, before waiting for Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to find spots to sleep.

I seriously hoped that tonight would be uninteresting.


	4. Secret Revealed

**Chapter 4:**

**Secret Revealed**

**A/N: This is where stuff in the actual manga/anime will change. Just a heads-up in case y'all started spazzing out on me :P  
>Also: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review! It'd make me so happy, I just might give ya a hug!<br>...alright so I won't, but ya get my drift. It'll make me REALLY happy if ya review :3**

I fiddled with my kunai, iddly watching as the sun sank below the horizon and watched cautiously the different beams of moonlight. I hid in the shadows, like I always do. I glanced over to find Naruto snoring his brains out. Sakura slept somewhat silently, sometimes muttering something. Sasuke, slept still and silently, a kunai clenched in his hand. I yawned silently, before looking back ahead of me. I yawned again, and slowly my eyelids started to fall. I couldn't sleep now. Not now, when I was supposed to be keeping watch.

It was too late, however. A body dartedover my sleeping teammates and slammed in to me, knocking me from the tree. Their hand slammed over my throat and their other over my mouth, cutting off any chance of me talking. I shut my eyes as they picked me up and took me further from my teammates. I didn't know who it was, or why they wanted me. I snarled somewhat as they slammed me against a tree finally. I must have been a good deal away from my teammates, because they uncovered my mouth.

I growled and opened my eyes, finding the weird person from earlier with the freaky tongue. Her black hair hung to the middle of her back. She wore black pants with a tan dress thing over it. Her headband was on her forhead, with weird marks on it that symbolized that she was from the Grass Village. I blinked. Her eyes seemed somewhat familiar. But I didn't know how. They were pitch black. I shook myself mentally, and tried to slam my foot in to her stomach, but she only caught it. I snarled in annoyance. Thank god no moonlight had touched me. I snarled in fury, and she narrowed her eyes at me.

"Who are you?" She hissed. I snarled in reply.

"Why does it matter?" I managed to growl. She smirked.

"I know who you are know. You're eyes, I remember them. They have the same look. No fear, no matter how much I hurt you. Pain, maybe. But no fear. Only hatred, anger, and courage. You seem to fear nothing. No matter who you fight." Suddenly, my neck erupted. It felt like it was on fire, and the fire spread throughout my body. I couldn't help it as my mouth shot open in a scream of utter pain.

The mark hadn't felt that way since that creep had attacked me, what? Like three days ago? Damn had it really only been a few days since I'd had my original team by my side? Seemed like longer. I groaned and continued to glare at the lady, before slamming my other leg in to her stomach. She was forced to release my neck, and I slumped to the ground in a heap of pain. She smirked and calmly strode to me. She rummaged in her ninja pouch for a second, before pulling out an Earth scroll.

"You want my Earth scroll, correct? Just like I want your Heaven scroll." She laughed tauntingly as sweat broke across my forehead. I groaned and my head bent back towards the ground. My right hand clutched my neck, resting over the mark. It was pitch black, with four crescents that met at one point so that they looked like those shuriken that you could fold and unfold. I screamed again as my body was racked with another bout of fire throughout my body. The mark hadn't hurt like this since the moment I had been given it.

She crouched down, and when I looked up, our faces were less than inches from each other. I saw something flash in her eyes, though I have no clue what. I groaned and realized I was shaking in pain. However, the lady was right. I wasn't afraid. maybe now would be a good time to give you a little background information. Three days ago, me and my team had been on an important mission. We were ambushed by a creep, who we fought valiantly. I can't even really remember anything specific. Anyway, I'd been bitten and given the mark by the creep. I'd passed out from the pain not much later. I'd woken up the next day in the hospital, to be told I'd be teaming up with Team 7 for the Chunin Exams if I could move by then. I'd gotten out of the bed and left to meet them after they'd said that.

And here we are now. My demise possibly happening right now. Speaking of new teammates... where were mine? Ya know... weren't they supposed to be, oh... I dunno... HELPING ME! I glared up again at the creepy lady, before my teammates finally showed up. Sasuke's shoulder slammed in to the crook of her neck. The lady disappeared in a cloud of smoke however. A clone.

"Sakura! Help and protect Koinu! Atleast until she can fight again!" Sasuke ordered as he pulled a kunai out and ran to meet the girl headlong. I didn't see Naruto, because Sakura landed in front of me then.

"W-what's wrong?" She asked, and I was thoroughly surprised. There was actual worry in her voice. I groaned.

"The... mark..." I gasped. She gently yet firmly pried my hand off and gasped at my mark.

"What... what _is _that?" She gasped, and I screamed in response. The pain was _killing _me. I swear to god I was going to die! I groaned and looked up. The girl and Sasuke were locked in combat. I groaned and tried to get to my feet, but my legs gave out from under me and I collapsed in pain.

And then I felt a tug. It was light at first, and then I felt it again, but it was more like a yank. Something powerful was trying to pull me in to it. I slowly let it reel me in, and realized that as I did, the pain subsided, and I felt more... powerful. I smirked and allowed myself to be consumed slowly. My eyes snapped open as I pushed myself to my feet. I felt brand new. I clenched my fists by my side, and glanced at Sakura, only to find her staring at me in horror and shock. I cocked an eyebrow before glancing at my hands.

I was shocked myself. The mark had spread over my whole body, almost like a rash. I watched as chakra bursted around me. It was a darker yellow, the same color as my eyes. But, at this point in time, I didn't care. I clenched my fists and snarled, and smirked when it sounded like an animal.

"Hey, you. Freak, get outta here." I snarled. She kicked Sasuke away from her, before looking at me, shocked, and smirked.

"I remember a certain... aspect, of yours." She hissed. "I see you've grown accustomed to that mark of yours."

I glared at her and cracked my knuckles as she pulled her scroll at again. She opened her mouth, before shoving the scroll down her throat. Her tongue wrapped around it, and I watched in grotesque horror as she swallowed it. I blinked in shock. She smirked evilly at me.

"Now, we fight to the death for the other's scroll." She cooed, before darting at me. I snarled and pulled a kunai out, sprinting to meet her.

When we met, I thrusted my kunai out and sunk it deep in to her chest. She disappeared in a cloud of smoke, before the real her slammed her foot in to my back. I growled as I shot forward, towards a tree. I shot my feet out, kicking off of the tree and bounding back towards my enemy. I did a small string of handsigns, before ending with tiger.

"Fire Style: Fire Bullet Jutsu!" I shouted before I blew fire out of my mouth. The fire encassed my body, unharming me as I flew towards my enemy. She smirked and shot a hand out towards me. She stood calmly, and when I was a few feet from her she smirked. Three snakes shot out of her sleeve at me. They penetrated my fire and seemed to be unharmed. I couldn't move in mid-air. I was stuck. One of the snakes sank their teeth in my neck, another on my arm, and the last one on my leg. I snarled in pain and closed my eyes, before snapping them open as the lady grabbed my neck and dispelled my fire.

"I wonder, do you recognize me, Koinu?" She hissed. I blinked and threw my leg out to try and kick her, but she caught it in response. I grabbed her arm with both of my hands, and clenched down as hard as I could. She hissed in pain, and released my neck but used her other hand to pnuch me in my stmoach. I coughed in pain, and collapsed on the ground in front of her. She bent down to look at me, and quickly I encassed my hand in fire and lunged forward, my hand clenching around her jaw.

She hissed in pain and kicked me away from her. I rolled away, in to a tree, before pushing myself in to a crouched position. I watched as her skin... melted off? I blinked before she reached up and pulled it off, and I gasped. It... it was him. The creep who gave me this mark. His skin was pale white. Like, paper white, i'm not kidding. He had snake yellow eyes, and a smug expression on his face. i stood there, in complete and utter shock for what seemed like hours.

I heard Naruto scream as he finally entered the battle, but I wasn't paying attention, I was too shocked that he was here. My mark rash thing slowly crawled back until it was just the mark on my neck. I wasn't paying attention. I could have been killed then and there. I only snapped back in to the fight when Naruto screamed my name.

"KOINU! WATCH OUT!" He shouted. I blinked and snapped back to attention, to find the freak only feet from me. My heart thumped, everything seemed to go in to slow motion. Suddenly the memorys from three days ago washed over me.

* * *

><p><em>"Motarako! WATCH OUT!" I shouted. I tried running forward, to help my teammate and best friend, but it was like running through mud. My leg still throbbed in pain from my earlier burn wound. I groaned and collapsed, grasping my leg as I watched Motarako, my best friend, try to fend for his life. <em>

_He blocked out attacker's kunai attack with his own kunai, both now only having one hand free. Our attacker, however, only smirked. He positioned his other hand out, and snakes shot from his sleeve. The snakes latched on to Motarako, and injected a poison in to his veins. Motarako screamed a bloodcurling scream, and collapsed on to the ground, writhing in pain. I screamed in shock, and no matter what pain I felt in my leg I ran forward at my attacker. He would NOT kill my best friend without killing me first._

_But as I blinked for a split second in our fight, the man lunged forward, grabbed my neck, and then slammed me back in to a tree. I groaned and glared in to his eyes a he stared at me. He narrowed his eyes. _

_"Are you still not afraid? I've just killed your teammate."_

_"He's not dead." I snarled._

_"But he will be, in an hour of painful writhing he will be dead."_

_"NO! NOT MOTARAKO!" I shouted, before kicking him only to distract him, I then pulled a kunai out and sunk it in to his arm. He hissed and dropped me, and quickly I leaped in to the trees. I wasn't retreating, but I had to find Gakuro sensei and Rashin. Wherever they were._

_"Hey! Koinu!" Rashin's voice called out to me. I barely heard it. Quickly I leaped in to the hole in the tree that I'd heard his voice call out from, and breathed a sigh of relief when I found him. He was okay. _

_"Where's sensei?"_

_"He's nearby somewhere."_

_"M-Motarako's been poisoned... he-he's going to die soon." The realization hit once I'd said it, and I still wasn't afraid. I felt like a monster. Rashin stared at me in shock, and anger suddenly boiled inside of me. And then I heard him. I don't know how I did, I just knew something was going to happen. "Rashin! Run!" I shouted as I leaped out of the tree, and I glanced back to watch as the man appeared in the entrance to the hole. He kicked Rashin back in, before summoning a giant snake to deal with him. I knew Rashin was dead the moment I heard his scream cut off._

_I was then fed up with running. I slammed my feet in to a branch, snapping it off and falling to the ground with a crash. I groaned as I stood up, only to turn around to find the man smirking evilly at me. I glared, and found that there was a large pool of moonlight between me and him. I took a deep breath. If I wanted to win, I'd have to resort to that. I glared at him, and stepped in to the moonlight. Instantly pain flared up my spine as it shifted. I growled as I doubled over, my spine condensed as a tail formed, my ears grew, and I grew a snout. My teeth and nails sharpened in to fangs and claws. My hands and feet turned in to paws and I grew dark gray fur. I howled as I completed my wolf form._

_I snarled and bared my fangs at my enemy, before lunging at him. We fought, for what seemed like forever, until I was fighting one of his clones unknowingly. He leaped out of a tree at me, a sword in his hand and amied for my back._

_That's when I heard it sink through flesh... but it wasn't mine. I kicked and dispelled his clone, spinning around to find my sensei, Gakuro, with a sword through his chest. The man who had been like a father to me, who had accepted me for what I was along with my two teammates who were now dead. They were my family. My father and brothers... and now they were dead. I snarled in fury, but knew I had no chance. I made a move to run, but the creep tackled me and pinned me on my back on the ground._

_He stared in to my eyes and smirked._

_"And still, you aren't afraid of me." He hissed. I growled in reply. I couldn't move. I was dead, I knew I was. _

_And then the sun glinted over the horizon. A single, tiny thred of sunlight fell in to the palm of my paw. I howled as my spine grew, and my tail disappeared. Soon, there was my plain old self in place of my wolf self. I glared at the man, who smiled._

_"One day, you'll find the need to kill me for what I've done to you tonight. You'll want more power. You're not afraid, and you won't ever be afraid of me. You'll find me, when you search for me." Then he bit me. There was the excruciating pain, and then I'd passed out. It was a miracle that I'd been found._

* * *

><p>I screamed in fury.<p>

"You son of a bitch! You killed my only family!" I shouted, and lurched forward to meet my attacker. My teeth and nails had sharpened. Maybe I should tell you one last thing: I hosted the Wolf Demon Okuri. I don't know my background, or why he was sealed in me, but he was. Therefor I took on aspects of wolves at times, hence my eyes... but those were permanent. Whenever I walked or was touched with moonlight I shifted in to a wolf, and while I was a wolf if I touched sunlight I turned back to human.

The man who'd destroyed my life. Fractured my fragile mirror of life, dodged my attack and slammed his foot in to my rib cage. I growled as I rolled to my side, clutching my ribs. He'd killed my family. He would pay, no matter what I had to do. I was desperate. If I lost my new teammates trust by doing this, then so be it. I looked around wildly, and spotted moonlight breaking through the trees a few yards away. Quickly I leaped to my feet and ran that way, but the man appeared in front of me. He threw his fist at me, and quickly I ducked underneath.

"Sasuke! Naruto! Someone, distract him!" I shouted. Naruto answered my call. He snarled and leaped forward. Something must have happened during their fight earlier. Naruto had sharpened teeth and nails, like me, but he had some wild look in his eyes. Maybe I did too. I didn't care though. I ran to the moonlight, my last shred of hope. I stopped in front of the small beam, and turned around.

"Guys, after I do this you have to stay out of the fight, unless something happens. If I die or fall unconcous, then do whatever you want. But stay out of my fight. It's mine." I snarled, before stepping in to the moonlight.

After the excruciating pain ripped up my spine and I shifted in to a wolf, I howled. I looked around to find three pairs of shocked eyes staring at me in surprise and horror, and one pair of eyes staring at me in excitement and anticipation.

"Come on then, Koinu. Try to settle this never-ending fight once and for all." The man hissed. I snarled in reply.

He would pay, and I'd get revenge. Even if I died doing so.


	5. Last Chance

**Chapter 5:**

**Last Chance**

(Sasuke's POV)

I watched in surprise and horror as Koinu turned in to a... a wolf? What the hell? Was she some sort of werewolf? No wonder her eyes looked so, feral and animal-like. Must bebecause she was part animal. I wonder if her eyes had been a normal color before she had been able to turn in to a wolf. I blinked and shook my head, fuk what Koinu said. I was getting in on this action. I cracked my neck and closed my eyes for a second, channeling chakra in to my eyes. I then opened them and smirked when I could see the chakra lines of everyone, my Sharingan now activated.

I took a kunai out just as Koinu and the weirdo were running to meet eachother. I leaped in to the air and threw the kunai at the man. He must have heard something, because he stopped suddenly and the kunai sank in to the ground, not even a foot from where he was. Koinu barked and slid to a halt, her head shooting to face me. She growled threateningly, and I knew it had something to do with me butting in, but I didn't care. We were going to die if we stayed here, that much was evident. Just standing in the same vicinity as him made me freak out. I was surprised at how calm Koinu was. Then again, maybe she was the best of us four.

"Koinu, Naruto, Sakura! Just go and get out of here! We'll all die if we stay!" I shouted, pulling another kunai out and keeping my eyes on the man.

"What are you saying, Sasuke! Are you to much of a chicken to stay and fight!" Naruto shouted, and I sighed in exasperation.

"Do you feel like dying right here and now, Naruto? Before you even get close to becoming Hokage?" I shouted, turning to glare at him. Naruto blinked at me in surprise, before suddenly setting his face and glaring back at me. I took that as a reluctant 'Fine, I'll do it'. I turned back to glare at the man.

"Now, do you want our scroll? If so take it and leave." I growled.

The man smirked and laughed. "I'm not interested in a scroll." He hissed, and suddenly something hard slammed in to my face. I grunted and fell to the ground on my side. I snarled and yanked myself to my feet, ready to lash back out at whoever had attacked me, but stopped when I saw that it was Naruto. What the hell?

"What's your deal!" I shouted, and Naruto glared back at me.

"I don't know who you are, but whoever you are you aren't Sasuke! Sasuke isn't a coward, atleast not the Sasuke I know!" He snarled at me. I blinked and straightened up. "Sasuke's the one who leads our team other than Kakashi sensei. He leads us, tells us what to do and is the one to put the plan in to action first! He's the leader! Not the coward! Sasuke doesn't give up!" He shouted at me. I blinked and stared at him. I almost laughed. Here Naruto was, telling me who I was.

I stared at him, before the man laughed again, and I turned to face him. Koinu snarled and lunged at him. The man didn't even look at her as he slammed his fist in to her shoulder, causing her to fly back in to a tree. Naruto snarled and pulled out a kunai and ran at him. The man ducked to the side as Naruto lunged forward with his knife. The man lunged out with his leg, slamming his foot in to Naruto's stomach. Naruto grunted as he flew back, straight at me. I growled in annoyance and dropped my kunai on to the ground. I channeled chakra in to my foot and stepped on my knife so it was stuck there. I channeled chakra in to my other foot so that it was like a suction cup on the ground, and then caught Naruto as he slammed in to my body.

I grunted with the effort that it took to stay standing. Naruto growled and then went sprinting at the guy again, but something was different. I realized it only after the man kicked Naruto away, and he spun around this time, facing me. He fell on the ground before he hit me, however, and rolled on to his back. His eyes shot open and he snarled in fury. His teeth and nails were sharpened to fine points, and his eyes were a blood red. The scars or marks on his face or whatever they were seemed rougher too. I didn't know what it was, but I didn't dwell on it for long.

I watched in frozen shcok and surprise as Naruto and Koinu worked together to fight this guy. I knew then and there we were all dead. We couldn't win this fight! Where they really that thick? Naruto lunged forward with his left fist, aiming for the man's face. The man grabbed his hand easily, and grabbed Naruto's other hand as he tried to hit him with his other fist. Koinu snarled and leaped forward to bite the man, but was quickly kicked away. Koinu yelped in pain and slid across the ground in to the ground.

Naruto and the man stared in to each other's eyes for a moment, before the man's tongue rolled out of his mouth and quickly wrapped itself around Naruto's shoulders. The man lifted Naruto in to the air above him, before some sort of fire lighted on each of the fingers on his right hand. I stared, unable to move.

"Damn it! Let go of me!" Naruto shouted, thrashing his legs, unable to move his arms. The tip of the man's tongue lifted Naruto jacket and shirt up, exposing his stomach. I couldn't see if something was different about it, though something must have been.

"Five Part Seal!" The man shouted, slamming his fingers in to Naruto's stomach. Naruto's eyes widened in visible pain, before he screamed out in pain. I blinked and almost crumpled in defeat. I'd never heard Naruto scream like that. EVER.

"Sasuke! Naruto's!" Sakura began but stopped for unknown reasons. Naruto's eyes fluttered to a close, and he went limp in the man's tongue's grasp. The man smirked and threw Naruto away, causing him to fall in a pile of bushes nearby. Koinu barked and snarled as she got to her paws again. The man turned to face her, and they began fighting again, but I was too preoccupied with listening to Sakura to pay attention.

"Sasuke! It's true that unlike you,Naruto's clumsy and a screw up! He get's in the way, but atleast he's not a coward! Right?" Sakura shouted at me.

I gulped and shut my eyes closed, those words ringing in my head. My older brother, giving me advice to kill him. I clenched my teeth as i shut my eyes tighter.

_Foolish brother... if you want to kill me then hate, spite! And survive pathetically! Run and run, and cling desperately to life..._

I growled and opened my eyes, the sharingan activated. I wouldn't cling to life like a coward. I would NOT be a coward. The Uchiha Clan had a reputation I had to uphold, no matter if the only other Uchiha alive was a traitor. I had to survive to kill my brother, but if I can't risk my life here and now, then how could I expect to kill him? I reached in to my ninja pouch and pulled out four kunai in my right hand, one in my mouth (clenched between my teeth), and a shuriken in my left hand.

I leaped in to the air and threw the four kunai in a neat line, the man easily leaping back to dodge them. I twisted in midair and threw the the shuriken at him, landing softly. I could see him as he moved too fast for normal eyes, but my sharingan could see him. I had caught him somewhat by surprise with my shuriken, though he only ducked underneath it. I spat my kunai out in to my hand, and channeled chakra through the string tied to it. I then slammed back against the tree behind me, and chucked the kunai at him.

He moved his head to the side, dodging it easily. The string on the kunai ended, as did the ones attatched to the shuriken and the other kunai. However, the string attatched to the shuriken was in my mouth. I jerked it back so that it began spinning back, my kunai falling pitilessly to the ground. The man spun around in surprise, the shuriken at head level less than a foot away. Sakura whooped in joy, but it was cut off as the man turned around, the shuriken clenched between his smirking teeth.

I cursed under my breath, before making the tiger sign underneath the string.

"Fireball jutsu!" I muttered around the string, and as I exhaled through my mouth the fire traveled along the string, like fire on oil. The fire caught on to his face, and it began burning. I smirked in success, before stopping as the fire disappeared, his body unharmed anyway what-so-ever.

"To be able to use the sharingan so well at this age... you truely are the kid that carries the Uchiha blood." He hissed, his lips spreading in to a wide and evil smirk. "Just as I thought, I want you." His eyes met mine, and for a moment I knew these were my last few breathes. I'd be dead soon.

* * *

><p>(Koinu's POV)<p>

I growled from my spot beside the tree. I had decided to stay out of Sasuke's way for a little while, knowing I'd only get in his way. Now, however, I was hating myself for it.

"I had fun testing your powers... both of you." The man hissed, his eyes flashing to mine briefly. I looked at Sasuke as the man looked back, only to find both Sasuke and Sakura frozen stiff. I blinked. No... that bastard wouldn't dare!

"You really are brothers, I sense power in your eyes that surpass Itachi."

Sasuke blinked. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!" He demanded, and I growled in support.

"My name is Orochimaru. If you want to see me again, then survive and pass this exam." He then held up our scroll, which was burning to shreds. I blinked in confusion. I thought I had the damn scroll! And I snarled at my stupidity. My team had taken the scroll from me while I'd been sleeping. Orochimaru had received it during our fight somehow. I snarled in betrayel and genuine anger. My muscles tightened as I stood up, ready to attack this guy.

"Of course, defeating my men, the sound ninja, on the way." He finished his spiel.

"What are you talking about! We never want to see your face again!" Sakura shouted as Orochimaru made some weird hand sign. The same sign i'd seen before he'd given me this scar. No.

I howled and leaped forward, my teeth sinking in to Orochimaru's right arm. Sakura gasped and Orochimaru looked down at me in anger and annoyance. I glared right back, and Orochimaru smirked.

"Again you look at me without fear. Idiot beast." He snarled before kicking my stomach, forcing me to release him. His right hand flattened out, and he slamed it in to the base of my neck, I yelped as I fell to the ground, my vision already clouding. I was only able to watch as Orochimaru made the hand sign again, saying something that was slurred to me, before his neck extended and bit in to Sasuke's neck. I heard Sasuke's scream of anguish as it pierced through the forest, before blackness washed over me and I fell unconcous.

* * *

><p>I groaned as my eyes fluttered open. The sun blared down on me, and that was the first thing I registered as I jerked up. I gasped for air, wondering where I was before I saw the gigantic trees, and then I remembered. I was in the Forest of Death with a team of idiots. I'd met the man who'd killed my team, and had just given Sasuke a mark like mine.<p>

"Nice of you to join us." Sakura muttered, looking at me as she started assembling a fire pit.

I groaned and rubbed my head, blinking in surprise as fingers met my now grimey hair. I blinked.

"When-?" I began but stopped as I didn't exactly feel like broaching that subject, but Sakura smirked.

"You changed back this morning. I thought you'd wake up and could maybe help me watch Naruto and Sasuke, but it seemed to put even more strain on your body. You were worse than Sasuke after you shifted back to a human." She narrowed her eyes in thought and I sighed.

"When I change the change feeds off of energy, but it's energy you only get and store in your body when you're awake. When I'm asleep the change feeds off the energy I've stored up... which is normally little because of how hard I work, it takes me to a state of near death. I've almost died from it before." I explained and narrowed my eyes at her.

"Hey, what happened to your hair?" I asked. Her hair was cut so that it was jaw-length.

"Oh, uh... nothing." She muttered, and I sighed. I'd missed something. My stomach growled as I tried to push myself to my feet, but my knees buckled underneath me. I cursed under my breath and crawled forward towards the fire pit. Sakura looked at me in genuine concern. I hated it. I sighed and forced myself to my feet, and growled in the effort to stay standing. When finally I could stand without stress I sighed in relief and then looked over towards the nearby stream. I watched as Naruto and Sasuke tag teamed together to catch three fish. Sasuke started scolding Naruto as I crossed over towards them.

"We still need a fish for Koinu, idiot!" Sasuke growled, and I snigged loudly.

"Do you forget that I'm part wolf?" I asked as I layed down on my stomach on top of a rock beside the stream. It was shallower here, and I watched with a kunai clenched in my hand until one passed by. Quickly I sunk my kunai in to the fish, and pulled it out, smirking at Sasuke as I stood up. "Maybe you should have waited until I woke up to fish. That way the idiot wouldn't be slowing you down."

We all went back with the fish we had caught, and started roasting them over the fire after Sasuke had lit it. I sat down in between Sasuke and Naruto, my back to the tree I had been sleeping under.

"This is the fourth afternoon after the test began." Sasuke began.

"WHAT! JUST HOW LONG WAS I UNCONCOUS!" I shouted, and Sasuke socked my shoulder, making me be quiet. I snarled and glared at him, and Sakura sighed.

"You were unconcous for two straight nights." Sakura answered and I blinked.

"Wait... so did I shift anymore than when I did this morning?"

"Yeah... you shifted four other times."

"But you said I shifted back this morning!" I shouted in frustration.

"You did... that was the last time you did..."

"WELL NO DAMN SHIT I WAS IN A WORSE CONDITION THAN SASUKE! I COULD HAVE DIED! I'M SURPRISE I'M NOT DEAD!" I shouted, leaping to my feet and growling as my knees buckled underneath me. I was forced back on to the ground and I snarled in fury.

"I swer after I get out of this damn forest and in to the next round of these exams I'm going to rip all of your throats out!" I snarled, glaring at each of them in turn.

"Calm down, Koinu." Naruto murmered and I snarled as I leaped at him, pinning him down on his back.

"You try scraping death everytime you shift unknowingly while asleep! And that's once! I TRUSTED you guys to an extent to protect my body from sunlight or moonlight depending on what form I'm in!" I snarled, and Naruto gulped. I growled as Sasuke pried me off of him and tossed me in front of the fire again.

"Anyway, you lived, you'll continue living again." Sasuke sighed and I growled in furstration. "The second test started around 2:30 p.m., meaning we only have 25 or 26 hours left."

"Many teams have already passed, so that means..." Sakura trailed off and I sighed. I watched as sasuke pulled out a Earth Scroll and I blinked.

"Exactly where did we get that?" I asked. Sasuke and Sakura sighed, before going in to a detailed description of how they had fought the sound ninja, with Lee and other leaf ninja coming to their aid. I then found out that this battle had taken place two days ago. I shook my head. I felt so... weak right now.

I grabbed the fish I had caught once they were done roasting and bit in to it hungrily, closing my eyes in annoyance. Oh well, it was time to get on the ball and start searching for another Heaven Scroll. As we ate I noticed Sakura's eyes drift over to the scroll that sat in front of Sasuke.

"You know, there may not be anymore Heaven scrolls." She muttered and I looked up from my fish as Sasuke and Naruto did the same.

"What do you mean, Sakura?" Sasuke asked around a mouthful of fish. I took another bite out of mine as I waited for her to answer.

"Because the fact that it's the forth day of this five day test means... that eighty percent of this test is over. Plus there are 79 entrants... 26 teams, and only 13 of each scroll. And you guys remember right? That Orochimaru guy burned the Heaven scroll we had. So that means, from then on the amount of teams that could pass went down by one. And we can't be sure that the rest of the scrolls are intact. If one of the scrolls is destroyed, that makes the other half meaningless." Sakura explained. I took another bite of fish and waited for someone else to answer.

"Since parting with our leaf comrades, we needed two days to heal our injuries. But we have to be more active now. Either way, the next enemy is our last chance." Sasuke said, and I smirked. I inhaled the rest of my fish and tossed the fish bones in to the stream. I cracked my neck and then my shoulders.

"Looks like I woke up just in time then." I laughed, my eyes glinting in anticipation and excitement.

Sasuke finished his fish shortly afterwords and stood up.

"I'm going to get water further up the stream, I don't exactly feel like having water that's contaminated by Naruto." I looked over to see Naruto with his back to us, peeing in to the stream. I blinked and sighed as I stood up.

"I'll come along too I guess. I need to get my muscles working anyway." I muttered, following Sasuke as we headed further up the stream. Soon, we couldnt see or hear Sakura or Naruto.

* * *

><p>As I rounded the corner coming back from getting water, Sasuke less than a foot away, I snarled as I saw someone right beside Naruto,grasping his hand which held the scroll. I growled loudly and darted forward towards him.<p>

"Hey you! Get outta here!" I shouted. Naruto dropped the scroll and leaped in front of me, grabbing my shirt and pulling me back.

"He's not an enemy, Koinu!"

Sasuke joined me by the fire as Naruto, Sakura, and this guy (who's name was Kabuto I found out) began telling us about how Naruto and Sakura had been about to open the earth Scroll.

"What are you, idiots? Oh wait, I forgot that you were!" I snarled as I slammed my fist in to the back of Naruto's head. Naruto groaned and rubbed the back of his head in pain.

"That was close. Those that ignore the rules are put in a condition that forces retirement. In a previous exam, within the scroll was set up a hypnotism type jutsu. Those that saw it would be knocked out here until the end of the exam." Kabuto explained.

"By the way, Kabuto, what are you doing out here alone?" Sasuke asked skeptically.

"It's not like I'm after your scroll." Kabuto replied calmly.

"Yeah, if you were you could have just taken it from Naruto then. So you're also after the Heaven scroll." Sasuke guessed, and Kabuto smirked.

"He's already got both." I accused, and he nodded.

"Bingo." He said as he pulled boht out in one hand and showed them to us. I leaned forward slightly, about to snatch his Heaven scroll away, but Kabuto raised an eyebrow at me. "Try it and I'll kill you."

"Yeah right." I snarled. Kabuto raised both eyesbrows in a way that said 'try it', but Sasuke's hand shot out in front of me before I could.

"Anyway, something's happened and I'm on my way to the tower to meet up with my teammates. Well, I'm off." Kabuto said, turning his back on us.

"Wait." Sasuke suddenly said. Kabuto turned back and looked at Sasuke questioningly. "Fight me."

"Fight?"

"No way! If anyone's gonna fight this loser it's me!" I snarled.

"You're in no condition to fight yet." Sasuke retorted.

"Oh yeah? Wanna test that theory out?" I snarled, but he was no longer paying me any mind.

"You're serious." Kabuto sniggered.

"Sorry, but we've run out of time."

"Sasuke! Kabuto helped us!" Naruto shouted.

"S-sasuke, I don't know about this." Sakura muttered.

"Shut up!" He snarled. "I said it before! This is the only way for us to survive in this forest!"

"You're lying." My head snapped to look at Kabuto. "You aren't as cold hearted as you say. If this test had really turned you in to that, then why would you even ask to challenge me? Instead of doing that you could have just attacked me and tried to take the scroll like your yellow eyed freakish friend over there was gonna do." Kabuto said, jabbing his thumb in my direction as he slid his scrolls away.

"Freak?" I snarled.

"That's a ninja." Kabuto finished. "I don't dislike you for that. So I'll tell you the path you should take. But I'll tell you as we move. The smoke from the fire, the smell of cooked fish can be sensed from far away. Wild beasts and enemies could be on the way." We waited a minute for Naruto to get dressed out of his swimming trunks, and then we were on the way.


	6. A Fight, and the Arrival of a Demon

**Chapter 6:**

**A Fight, and the Arrival of a Demon**

"So are there really enemies left?" Sasuke turned and asked Kabuto as we leaped through the tree branches of the forest.

"Yes, no doubt about it. Just think, do you know the smartest fighting tactic in a large area like this jungle?" Kabuto questioned, and I turned to look back at Sakura and Naruto, who were about a yard behind me, Sasuke, and Kabuto. They both looked like they were contemplating the question, as was Sasuke. Man, these kids needed to learn ALOT.

"We only have one day left, right guys?" I asked, and when Sasuke nodded I sniggered. "So where do you think everyone who has their scrolls is gonna be? The target of this test is to get one of each scroll, and then head to the _tower._ So the smartest thing to do is to head to the tower and lie in wait for suckers to show up." I landed on a branch thicker than most, and pushed off with all the strength I could muster at that point in time, and I snarled inwardly. I still wasn't in the greatest of shape. Damn my new teammates.

"Oh! So an ambush!" Sakura said, finally realizing my gist.

"Exactly." Kabuto confirmed, looking back at me with interest in his eyes. "I don't think I ever caught your name."

"Koinu Hashitaki." I replied, narrowing my eyes and wondering why he wanted to know. Something like realization dawned in his eyes, and I wondered exactly why the hell did this guy want to know my name?

"Those are... interesting eyes." He murmered, and I rolled my eyes.

"Like I haven't heard that one before."

"Anyway, there are some setbacks to this plan." Kabuto began, but I decided to intercept.

"Yeah, yeah. We won't be the only ones trying this plan out. Any other team that has some sort of brain in the group and needs a scroll will bedoing the same. The matter of the fact is trying to pick out and choose either which teams have both or which needs an Earth scroll." I answered.

"And one more." I wrinkled an eyebrow in question at him, damn. He'd figured something out I hadn't. "Don't worry, Koinu. This is my seventh time taking the exam, you kinda learn a thing or two when you aren't a rookie. Anyway, there are people I call 'collectors'. They pawn off extra scrolls as they go through the exam, to ensure that they have a set if a strong enemy comes forth. Or they use it to receive favor and information from shinobi from the same village. Or, the most common kind. Those that pick off other teams while they already have their scrolls and at the end, to ensure an easier time in the third exam." I smirked.

"So basically, we'll be the target of twenty enemies at once if we just barrel in there." I turned and looked behind at Naruto. "So that means no screaming or being an idiot on your part, Uzumaki!"

"Exactly, you don't want to fight the ones that pick the other teams off. They're strong and confident in their abilities." Kabuto piped up as he leaped off of a branch to my right.

"But what if I'm strong and confident in _my _abilities, if we pick off some of the stronger teams we'll have an even _easier _time in the third exam." I said, smiling in anticipation.

"Now I understand why you appeared in front of us." Sasuke said, both of them completely ignoring my statement. Kabuto looked underneath him, back at Sasuke. "You're scared too."

Kabuto smiled. "Exactly."

We stopped a few times to rest, and that put me further on edge. The sun was starting to sink... and it was getting closer to nightfall. At one point, it was probably about six or seven. The sun was going to set soon.

"C'mon, guys! I wanna get to the tower before nightfall." I snarled, and Kabuto was the only one who looked confused, but he didn't bother to ask. We continued forward, me now in the lead and a good few yards of space between me and my team. I was on edge, and it was obvious as hell. When the sun finally did set, I took to the shadows, leaping from tree to tree where the branches met the trunk. I was _not _taking any chances here.

We stopped about an hour after the sun had set, long after the moon had appeared. We stopped on an outlook, though I was atleast a meter away from them, sitting in the shadows.

"Now we can finally see the tower. We must be careful from here on out." Kabuto murmered.

"Alright! Let's go!" Naruto shouted and I snarled.

"Shut up!" I snarled was a rustling sound from behind me and I spun around as everyone else did the same.

"An enemy already?" Sasuke gasped.

"There!" Naruto shouted and chucked a kunai, though my back was to him. I turned my head slightly to see where the kunai was, and leaped back in surprise as it was inches from my face. I rolled out from my spot, the kunai sailing right where my shoulder had been. I continued rolling, since I was on the top of a slope, unable to stop. When my face wasn't hitting the ground I saw I wasn't far from the clearing. I snarled and channeled chakra in to my hands and feet, and slammed them in to the ground. I slid across the ground and dug my hands further in to the ground. No way in hell was I going in to that moonlight.

As I continued to slide, less than a few feet away from the moonlight, I glanced up to see Kabuto staring at me quizically. I pulled my hands out of the ground and leaped back, my back slamming in to a tree from the force of my leap. I grunted in slight pain, but atleast I hadn't touched the moonlight. I glanced back to where I had been and up, and spotted a huge ass centipede.

"Naruto, you idiot!" I snarled. "If you weren't over there right now I'd kill you!" My eyes flashed dangerously, and Naruto backed further in to the clearing, eyeing me nervously.

"Naruto, from here on out please be quiet and avoid unnecessary actions." Kabuto said calmly, and I snarled. "Moving through the forest like an elephant will only tip our enemies off. And they don't have a fun welcome party planned for us. From this point on let's move as slowly and safely as time allows."

So we ran through the forest, though it was more strenuous. We had to be as quiet as possible, which meant taking even longer to watch our footsteps. Kabuto seemed to take the tip and we now traveled in the shadows. Atleast, most of the time. Sometimes they cut through little clearings while I skirted around.

"I can't." Sakura's knees buckled from underneath her. Luckily I was right in front of her, so I was able to catch her before she fell.

"Sakura!" Naruto whisper-yelled.

"How long have we been walking? We aren't getting closer to the tower at all." I looked up, pushing strands of sweat-soaked hair out of my face and sat Sakura down. I then leaped further up a nearby tree, and peered through.

"She's right, we're the same distance from the tower as we were two hours ago." I said, leaping down and landing in my exact same spot.

"No way! This is weird." Naruto groaned. I groaned and rubbed my head, pinching my nose, and looked up to meet Kabuto's eyes. From the look in them I could tell we had the same look in our eyes.

"Seems we've already arrived at our welcoming party." He murmered, and I nodded. Kabuto turned and looked to the side. "See, look right there." He pointed his arm towards where he was looking. I turned as Naruto gasped and pointed there too. It didn't come as a shock when I saw the same centipede from earlier.

"What's going on!" Naruto shouted in his same nails-on-chalkboard voice.

"Shut up!" I hissed at the same time as Sasuke murmered "Genjutsu."

"Looks like it. We've totally fallen in a trap. Seems like they took advantage of our worries, and made us walk around in circles." Kabuto said in the same tone a tour guide would use. It annoyed the crap out of me.

"They're watching us." Sasuke growled.

"They're trying to tire us out, and then use that oppurtunity to attack us." I sighed, flopping down on a tree root.

"Then it's going just as planned." Sasuke said, his eyes searching around in the trees above.

"They'll attack soon." Kabuto murmered.

Suddenly black figures started melting and climbing from the trees. I leaped to my feet and snarled as my teeth and nails grew sharper. The figures all wore some sort of headband thing with eye holes cut out around their eyes, and then some sort of breathing device. I snarled as figures started surrounding me and my teammates, though we were separated from each other by four enemies. They were standing in the middle of the clearing, while I was in the shadows to the side.

"There's alot of 'em. And... are these even clones?" Kabuto asked.

"Wh-what is this?" Sakura sounded distressed.

"Hehe. You're trapped rats." One of the figures laughed. His voice sounded mechanical like, kind of like a robot I guess.

"Shut up!" Naruto shouted, running forward. He grabbed his left bicept with his right hand and leaped in to the air, before throwing it forward and slamming it in to one of the figure's chest. The figure grunted and was lifted off his feet. Naruto smirked, until the figure landed and Naruto's arm went straight through the figure. The figure's arms exlpoded and water flew everywhere. Naruto grunted and fell in to the ground, and slid across a few feet.

He groaned and sat up, and I watched as from the arm wound to the one figure, another's head popped out and a different clone started growing. It's right arm grew out, while it was clutching a kunai.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted running forward, Sharingan activated. Naruto turned as Sasuke threw three shuriken at the sprouting figure. They all sunk in to the figure's kunai arm, until it exploded. The shuriken then whirled forward and sunk in to a tree. He turned and looked at Sasuke as his arms repaired itself. It then threw its arm out and released the kunai, sending it flying straight at Sasuke.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. I blinked when Sasuke didn't move, almost like his body was frozen. Kabuto reacted quickly, his arm slamming across Sasuke's chest and sending them sprawling in to the dirt as the kunai whizzed overhead.

"What are you doing?" He shouted, and grunted from the sting of a cut on his shoulder. He rolled off of Sasuke and on to his feet, and I stared at Sasuke in concern. I watched as Sakura helped Sasuke sit up, fussing over him. Then I spotted it. His curse mark had sprouted weird, black looking flames in the area of his neck right around the mark.

"Give us your scroll." A different clone barked, and I snarled.

"Does the fact that Kabuto got hurt mean that these are shadow clones? Shadow Clones disappear when they receive a direct hit, but these don't. Is it Genjutsu? Which is it?" Naruto shouted, pulling and gripping another kunai in his hands. "Damn it!"

Naruto made to run at a line of enemies across from him, and I bent down and layed my hands on the ground, ready to spring at the enemy around me too, until Sasuke stopped us.

"Don't it's useless!" Naruto and I jerked to a stop from the momentum we had been about to use, and listened. "They're illusions, this is the enemy's genjutsu." I looked and saw that he was gasping from the strain the mark was putting on him, on top of the strain from the sharingan.

"B-but Kabuto's injury is real." Sakura murmered.

"No, Sasuke's right. The enemy is most likely hiding somewhere and matching their attacks with the movements of the fake shinobi, so that it'll seem like the illusions are attacking." Kabuto informed us.

"Then let's find the idiots throwing the kunais and kick their asses!" Naruto shouted.

"But this confuses where the kunais are coming from, and prevents us from accurately locating the enemy, which is what they planned to do. Their type prefers this kind of attack. And are weak at taijutsu and close range fighting. The real enemy won't reveal themselves until we can no longer move. Atleast for now, all we can do is dodge their attacks." Kabuto sighed.

"Alright, if that's their plan." Naruto growled, tightening his grip on his kunai.

He leaped out of the way as someone chucked a kunai at him. My eyes scanned everywhere, searching for some clue as to where the enemy is, while I kept a watch on the clones around me. I rolled and ducked out of the way as three kunais were chucked at me. I snarled in anger. These guys were all cowards. It seemed to last forever as we ducked, rolled, and dodged kunais. Finally there was a small break, and we were all gasping for breath.

I groaned, and my left arm buckled so that I was leaning against my elbow on the ground. Kabuto's sight fluttered over to me, but I shook my head. I would be fine, hopefully. This was all taking a toll on me though. Damn my teammates for not sheltering me somewhere until I woke up.

"Agh! There's no end to this!" Sakura shouted in annoyance.

"Then I'll do this!" Naruto growled, making some sort of hand sign.

"No, Naruto! Don't waste your chakra! Attacking them is pointless!" Kabuto warned.

"If we defeat all of the illusions at once then while they're returning to normal the enemy won't be able to attack because they'll be found!" No one than tried to stop him. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Clones of Naruto appeared, and it had to be the same amount as all of the other clones. I watched as all of the Naruto clones ripped and tore through the enemy. Once all of them were gone more enemy clones melted and appeared from the ground and trees.

"Damn it!" Naruto shouted before creating even more clones.

* * *

><p>It lasted forever. Watching Naruto squander his chakra and dodging kunais while trying to stay out of the moonlight. I grunted and my knees and arms buckled underneath me. I groaned and fell on to the ground.<p>

"Koinu." Sasuke groaned, collapsing on to the ground, followed by Kabuto and Sakura. Naruto grunted as he flew back, the rest of his clones disappeared from the enemy's attacks. I groaned and looked up at the trees, the night was almost over, but not quite. I looked over at the clones as they started to melt and disappeared, before being replaced by three guys maybe two or three years older than us.

They all wore tan jumpsuits, with the same kind of eyebands. One had two eyeholes cut out, another had only one, and then one had none. They all wore those mask things over their mouths too. I groaned before Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kabuto all smirked.

"You're trapped rats now." Sasuke's voice sounded from behind the group of guys.

"It went perfectly Naruto!" Sakura shouted form the same spot. I blinked and looked to find the real Sasuke, Sakura, and Kabuto standing behind them, and blinked.

"Them, how? Since when?" The leader of the enemies shouted in surprise as he turned around.

"Idiots!" Naruto shouted. "We finally got you by the tails! Bastards!" He smirked again as the Sasuke, Sakura, and Kabuto beside him all changed back in to their original Naruto clones. He stood up as the clones disappeared. "The Shadow Clone Jutsu was a trick! It was a diversion while I became the whole team!"

"The moment Naruto released the jutsu, the three of us hid. You Genjutsu users got a taste of your own medicine." Sasuke sniggered. I growled suddenly.

"SO WHY WASN'T I REPLACED YOU FRICKIN' BASTARDS! I'M GONNA KILL YOU AFTER THIS TEST!" I shouted, still on the ground, unable to move.

"Oh... sorry, Koinu... I, uh... forgot you were over there." Naruto mumbled, before his knees buckled and he fell to his knees.

"Naruto, you've used to much chakra, I'll take over from here." Sasuke said as he activated his sharingan.

Naruto leaped and lunged forward, his fist slamming in to the man closest to him. He grunted and flew back in to his other two teammates, sending them sprawling in the dirt.

"I'm damn sick of you stealing all the juicy parts." Naruto laughed, smiling at Sasuke. I gasped for air from where I was. Damn did this idiot have stamina. He made tons of clones all night long, while three of them turned in to our teammates. And it's the fifth day of the exam too. I smirked. If he ever learned to control his chakra, he'd be a monster.

"You're pretty good, but we aren't 'unlucky' just yet. There's little time left, so we'll show you our ninjutsu!" The leader laughed.

I groaned and looked up as sun broke through the sky, and was somewhat relieved, but I couldn't move so I was actually ticked off.I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, trusting my teammates to protect and watch me while I focused. I took a deep breath, and decided to call on the demon that thrived within me.

* * *

><p><em>I stood in a dark forest at night, in a small clearing with trees blocking out all moonlight. It was dark, but not dark enough to blind me or anyone else. I glared around. Weird, I always imagined the true depths of myself to be a battle field... not a forest. I sniffed the air, and smiled. Musty, normal forest smell. I could stay here forever.<em>

_And then a loud, shrill howl pierced the air. I listened as I heard running feet, and watched as a pack of wolves ran in to the middle of the clearing. They were all gray, except for one. It was pitch black with piercing yellow eyes. MY eyes. It stopped and thus the rest of the pack stopped. He sniffed the air in front of him, before flicking his tail. The rest of the pack nodded before turning and ran in to the forest again. I blinked and stared at the wolf. We'd met before, but only in my moments of dire need._

_"Hello, Garou, Wolf Demon." I greeted. The wolf blinked and nodded his head. The air between us was hostile, but we never did actually attack each other. We hated each other, but that was how we survived. I pulled a kunai out and threw it in to the tree branches above, cutting a small hole and letting a beam of moonlight shine through the clearing. I cracked my neck before holding my hand out, letting the moonlight wash over me._

_I transformed in to my wolf form and took a deep breath of air._

_"So what do you want, Koinu?" Garou's voice was rough and harsh, but always spookily calm. When it wasn't you were in trouble. It either meant that he was REALLY made, or that he was scared with good reason._

_"I take it you've been watching?" _

_"Mhm, you're unusually weak."_

_"You can thank you're stupid changing self for that one."_

_"Oh, right. My bad."_

_"Whatever. So I uh... need some help."_

_"You want some of my power?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Why should I?"_

_"Because this is only like, the fifth time I've asked you for help since I found out about you when I was five."_

_"True."_

_"So it can't hurt!"_

_Garou sighed in frustration. "Fine, Koinu."_

_"I find it INCREDIBLY akward when you call me that."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because my father named me that right after he sacrificed himself to seal you in me after I was born. He called me 'his little puppy'. It's awkward when you call me it."_

_"Sorry, but it is your name, Koinu."_

_I growled in reply. And Garou laughed._

_"Have fun with the fight."_

* * *

><p>I blinked my eyes open as Naruto's fist soared through a clone, and Sasuke screamed as his mark acted up again. A clone, or the real guy, grabbed a kunai and towered over Naruto.<p>

"You shouldn't create openings!" The man shouted as he lunged down on Naruto.

I snarled and leaped to my feet, and ran forward. I slammed in to Naruto, sending us both crashing in to the ground. "Idiot." I snarled before pushing myself to my feet and glaring face-to-face with the man. I lunged forward but my fist passed through him harmlessly.

"Damn it, a clone!" I snarled.

"Koinu, stop! No matter how many clones you hit you won't find the real ones." Sasuke gasped.

"Then where will the enemy attack from? Normal clones can't fight!" Naruto shouted.

"If we knew that then thing would be easy!" Sasuke retorted.

A moment passed and Naruto grunted as he fell to his knees, but forced himself to his feet behind me. Kabuto groaned and collapsed too, being directly behind Naruto. I looked around the clearing, looking for the enemy in every corner. Where could they be? Suddenly the leader leaped out from among the crowd, and made to attack me with it. I pulled a kunai out to defend myself, before suddenly Kabuto screamed in pain. I turned around to see the real enemies behind us. Kabuto's glasses flew off and his head crashed to the ground.

Something happened and the enemy looked in to Kabuto's eyes and stopped. I snarled and dropped my kunai, the pupils of my eyes dilating in to thin lines. I snarled ferally and the enemy all turned to face me, and so did Kabuto from his position. I doubled over, my hands laying on the ground. My nails and teeth were sharpened again, and I lunged forward. My shoulder slammed in to one of the enemy's stomachs. They flew back and I flew with him, crashing in to his two other allys.

They slid across the ground, two unconcous but the leader was still awake. I pushed myself up to my feet and stalked forward. I grabbed the cuff of his shirt with my left hand and pulled him up off of his feet. I bared my teeth at him, and you see genuine fear in his eyes. I pulled my right hand back, but before I could do anything Naruto's hand slammed over my fist. My head whipped around to glare at him, but he just met my gaze calmly.

"Let him go." I shrugged and dropped him, but sent my foot slamming in to his stomach. The man grunted and flew back in to a tree, groaning as he passed out. I smirked before letting Garou's borrowed strength slip away. I watched as Naruto went to search for the enemy's scroll. I turned and made to walk back to the group, by as I took a step forward my knee buckled, and I crashed to the ground.

"Koinu!" Sakura gasped and rushed forward, Sasuke and Kabuto on her heels. I groaned and tried pushing myself up, but I could hardly move. I took a deep breath and forced myself up until I was sitting down. I took a deep breath and glanced at Sasuke's mark. I rolled my shoulders in aware of my own mark. He shook his head ever so slightly and I looked away as Sakura began fussing over me for a change.

Finally after what seemed like forever Naruto shouted that he found the scroll. I looked over and smirked when I saw the scroll he held up. It was a Heaven Scroll. I smiled before Naruto tossed me the scroll. I caught it and slid it in to my pocket, knowing Sasuke had the other one. Sasuke stood up with the help of Sakura, and Kabuto came over to me, and threw my arm over his shoulders.

"I don't need any help."

"Yeah, ya do." He replied, smiling at me. I smiled back before he lifted me to my feet and we started on our way to the tower.


	7. Life or Death? Your Choice

**Chapter 7:**

**Life or Death? Your Choice**

Eventually, we reached the tower. We shambled towards the doors, Kabuto supporting me and Sakura supporting Sasuke. I looked up at the tower, and smiled in relief. Hopefully there would be a nice, feather mattress waiting for me. Or maybe it was a water bed. Either worked, as long as I could curl up and fall asleep in comfort. Even a nice chair would work. I groaned as the bushes behind us started rustling. Another enemy? I was spent already, I'd be dead by the end of this fight if they were enemies. As me and Kabuto spun around, Kabuto sighed in relief as two guys his age clad in black with black masks on walked out of the bushes.

"Oh, it's you guys." Kabuto sighed in relief.

"You're late, Kabuto." I glanced at their headbands, and saw that they were also leaf headbands. They weren't enemies it appeared. Atleast for now.

"Sorry, we ran in to a bit of trouble." Kabuto laughed nervously as Naruto took his spot in helping me stand. I thanked Naruto and smiled.

"But because of you we got the scrolls!" Naruto laughed.

"No, it was all because of you guys. You were great at the end, Naruto. Really." I kept my snide remarks to myself, and waited. "Anyway, we're going through this door." He said, motioning to the door beside their team. "Good luck to the both of us!"

"Yeah." Naruto nodded, before turning so we could walk to the door beside us. Naruto grabbed one doorhandle, while I grabbed the other, before throwing the doors open and walking inside.

When we walked in, I inspected the room. There were two balconys on either side of the room, with railings. There was a door in the far left corner, and a framed writing on the wall between the two balconys.

"Nobody's here." Naruto muttered.

"Sakura, I'm alright." Sasuke said, letting go of Sakura and standing up on his own.

"Yeah, me too." I said and slowly sat myself on the ground by myself, it infuriated me that I couldn't stand, however.

"So, what do we do?" Naruto asked.

"I think we-" I was abruptly cut off by Sakura.

"Look at that!" She pointed to the writing.

"Without heaven... What's this mean?" Naruto muttered.

"Looks like it's missing a word." Sakura muttered.

"I think we need to open the scrolls." I sighed, pulling out the Heaven scroll we'd recently obtained. Sasuke did the same with the Earth scroll. From my position on the floor, I sat the scroll in front of me, and took a deep breath, and looked up at Sasuke, who nodded. I grabbed the edge of the scroll, as Sasuke did the same, before pulling it open. I blinked and stared at the writing inside, before gasping. It was a summoning scroll.

"Sasuke! Get rid of them!" I shouted, chucking mine down the room towards the writing as Sasuke did the same. When the scrolls landed they were hissing and smoking. I watched as a cloud of smoke appeared as someone was summoned, and sighed in relief when the smoke settled and it was a Chunin wearing the standard chunin uniform. His brown hair was pulled back in a spiky ponytail, and a scar ran across his face, over the bridge of his nose.

"Hey guys, long time no see." Iruka smiled.

"Especially for us, sensei." I smirked, and Iruka blinked at me before raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"Koinu? Damn it has been a while." Iruka smiled. "Looks like you guys ran in to some trouble." I laughed a short bark of a laugh.

"You have _no _idea."

"Wh-why was Iruka sensei summoned?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"At the end of this second test it's set up so we Chunin meet up with the exam takers anid I was allowed to be the ones to greet you." Iruka explained.

"Greet us?" Naruto was as confused as ever.

Iruka pulled out a pokcet watch, and popped it open, he looked at the time and sighed. "Made it just in time to." He then popped it closed, and stuck it back in his pocket, and then smiled up at us.

"The second test, all four of you guys pass. Congratulations! To celebrate your successful completion of this test I'd like to take you all out for a round of ramen but-"

"WE DID IT!" Naruto cut off Iruka as he tackled him to the ground happily.

"H-hey, Naruto. Listen until the end-"

"We did it, we did it, we did it! WE DID IT! I'm so happy!" Naruto laughed, leaping in to the air as Sakura and Sasuke slid to the ground. "Yeaaaah!"

"Naruto!" He then looked over at me, a wide grin spread across his face. "SHUT. UP!" I growled, and he stopped screaming, but he was still smiling.

"You sure have changed in your inability to relax." Iruka laughed.

"Heh, I see. If we had opened the scrolls during the test, what where you going to do, Iruka?" Sasuke asked, smirking.

"As always, you're sharp, Sasuke." Iruka began. "As you may have figured out this test's rules are set up to take your ability to perform missions correctly. So if you were to break these rules and open the scrolls, you'd be put in a condition of unconcousness for the remainder of the test period. Those were my orders."

"Good thing you morons didn't open those scrolls then." I laughed.

"Oh yeah, sensei. What's the writing on the wall mean? Seems like there's a word missing... we can't figure it out." Sakura said.

"Who cares? We passed!" Naruto laughed.

"No, I'm also here to explain that. This is the motto of the Chunin, written by the Hokage himself. The 'heaven' in this paragraph stands for the human mind, and the 'earth' refers to the human body. 'If you lack heaven, seek wisdom and be prepared.' Thet's basically, for example if Naruto's weakness is his brain 'gain knowledge and be prepared for the missions.'" Sakura started sniggering and Naruto grumbled under his breath. "'If you lack Earth, run in the fields and seek advantages.' So if Sakura's weakness is stamina, then it's saying to continue to train hard." Naruto smirked and started chuckling, while Sakura rubbed the back of her head. "And if you have both heaven and earth, you can succeed in even the most dangerous mission. So basically all missions become safe and easy."

"Then, the part with the missing word?" Sakura asked.

"So, the words that represent a Chunin. The 'person' word from the scrolls goes there. The last sentence is: 'These rules will guide a person's extremes.' These five days of survival were to test the exam taker's basic abilities needed to become a chunin, and you guys successfully pass that. Chunin are at the rank of military captain, you have the responsibility of guiding a team. The knowledge, stamina, and inner wisdom, all are needed for your duties. I want you guys to challenge the next test with this motto in mind." Iruka commanded. "Just, please don't push yourselves in this next test." Iruka smiled sheepishly and I smirked back.

"Look at who you're talking to, sensei. The last survivor of the Uchiha Clan. The kid who pushes himself way past his limits to become strong enough to kill brother. The most popular kid of his year at the academy. Graduated at the top of his class.

"The flunk out, idiot from Konoha. The most hyperactive, attention seeking kid. The kid who defiled the Hokage's faces, and was hated by everyone in the village. The kid who has finally somehow fitted in enough to have a purpose in his life.

"The pink-haired, know it all girl who's the smartest of her class who somehow got second in that category. The girl who has the BIGGEST crush on Sasuke Uchiha ever. Who acts like she doesn't care when she really does, even though everyone knows she does.

"And last but not least, the outcast of the whole village. The one who's parents are dead before she even knew them. Her only family members were killed less than a week, but she works herself to near death anyway. She doesn't care what people say about her, or who says them. She doesn't take crap from anyone and has even attacked the Hokage because of it.

"Do you really think you're gonna stop this team from pushing ourselves to far? That's impossible." I laughed, and Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura smirked and nodded.

Iruka nodded and motioned towards the door in the far corner. "Just file in through there and wait for a little bit. It shouldn't be too long hopefully. I nodded and he disappeared in a cloud of smoke, allowing me to hiss in pain from the burn of my mark. I grabbed my neck and looked at Sasuke, who nodded. So his hurt too huh? I groaned before taking some of Garou's strength from earlier and got to my feet, though slowly. I then nodded and walked in to the room after Sakura, Naruto, and then Sasuke.

* * *

><p>About ten minutes of standing in the room, kids around us conversing, a large cloud of smoke appeared at the front of the room. The Hokage one of them. Behind the Hokage were the Jonin that led our individual teams. Beside the Hokage were two lines of Chunin and then a few higher ranks, probably because the Hokage was here.<p>

"First off, for the second test: Congratulations on passing!" Anko congratulated us, smiling. I blinked and looked around, counting us all out. Damn, only 22 of us left out of the 79 originally starting.

"Heh. I can't say that I'm getting a good feeling." Sasuke whispered to no one in particular, rubbing his mark.

"You okay?" I whispered back.

"Fine." I nodded, and tried acting like I didn't care. I blinked when I spotted the sound ninja's Jonin. He seemed... familiar. I sniffed the air, and almost collapsed in surprise. I smelled him... Orochimaru. He had either been here recently, or he was watching us from somewhere. My hands trembled in anticipation, and as I scanned the ninja assembled around the Hokage, the sound Jonin met my gaze. He smiled, and winked, before looking away. I narrowed my eyes before looking away. As long as I stayed alert, that was all that mattered.

"The Hokage will now explain the third test! Listen carefully!" Anko shouted.

"Yes, for the coming third exam, but before I explain that there's something I'd like you to know. It concerns the true reason for this exam. Why do we have all the allianced countries taking the exam together? 'To promote the friendship among the countries.' 'To raise the level of shinobi.' I don't want you to be confused about the true meaning. This exam is a replacement for war among the allied countries. If you go back in time, the current allies were enemies who fought each other over who would rule. In order to prevent wasteful fighting, the stage that these countries chose for battle... that's the origin for the Chunin Selection Exams."

"Wait! So that means you're basically throwing all of us in here, to let us fight and fight until exhaustion! Just so that nobody of higher ranks fight? You're pitting Genin against each other! Pure rookies against kids who have been in it six times! JUST TO KEEP PEACE! Anyone could have been killed in this past test! I'm SURE people were killed! How do you know that kids in the Sand or Sound villages aren't trained like CHunin or Jonin are in Konoha? I understand that these exams determine who should and is chosen to be granted the rank of 'Chunin' but if these exams were based originally on letting your upcoming shinobi fight against each other and slaughter each other just to keep peace... that's stupid! YOU'RE KILLING THE FUTURE GENERATION FOR NO REASON!" I shouted, and once I was done I glared at the Hokage who met my gaze calmly.

"Koinu! You are in no position to be speaking!" Kakashi's voice rose from the Jonin ranks.

"I don't care!" I growled in response, and the fellow Genin rookies from the Leaf village gasped quietly in shock. I realized almost everyone but Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke where staring at me.

The Hokage sighed and shook his head. "One day, you will all understand."

"I understand perfectly fine right now-" I was cut off by the Hokage though.

"No you don't! If you did you wouldn't be shouting at me!"

"You're letting the future fight just to keep peace between the villages. Once Konohamaru, your grandson, takes these exams would you be willing to let him die to keep the peace between Konoha and the Sound village?" I growled, but the Hokage decided to ignore me. I snarled in fury and made to shoulder my way up to him, But Sasuke grabbed the back of my shirt and held me back.

"Just stop, Koinu." He sighed, I growled in reply, before angrily taking my spot back.

"The exam has two sides. One is for choosing future Chunin. The other is for letting the different villages' Genin fight against other village Genin to protect their land's prestige. Watching the third exam will be leaders and influential individuals from many lands who make up the clients of the shinobi, and the leaders of the countries will also watch each of your battles. If the strength of a country is clear, that country will receive more clients. And if seen weak, they'll recceive less clients. And this will signal to potential enemies that 'out village ash this much power'. So it will send a political message to outsiders."

"Yeah but why do we have to risk our lives!" A Leaf Genin whose name I think was Kiba barked.

"The strength of the country is the strength of the village. The strength of the village is the strength of the shinobi. And the true strength of a shinobi is determined through life risking battles." I took a deep breath and rubbed my neck. The mark was starting to burn like crazy. "This exam is a place to see each country's strength and to show off your own strength. It only has meaning because lives are at risk. And that's why those that have come before you have fought in the Chunin Exam for this dream that is meaningful."

"Then why do you say stuff about it being for friendship?" Someone shouted from my right. I wasn't really paying attention though, my mark was stinging even worse.

"I said it in the beginning. I don't want you to confuse the meaning of this. By losing life and establishing balance. This is the shape of friendship in the shinobi world. Before we begin the third test I will tell you one more thing. This is not just a test. This is a life-risking battle. With your dreams and your country's prestige on the line."

"I don't care what it is. Just hurry up and tell us what this life-risking battle entails." A rough voice from further along the lines growled.

"Yes, I'd like to now explain the third test but-"

"Actually, *cough*" A leaf shinobi appeared in front of the Hokage, with a horrible cough it seemed. "I apologize Hokage. From here on out as referee, will you please allow me, Hayate Gekkou."

"Of course." The Hokage nodded.

"Hello everyone, I'm Hayate." The man said, turning to face us. I blinked. He looked like he was on his death bed. "Before the third test, there's something I'd like you to do. Ummm it's a preliminary for the third test to decide who gets to participate in the main event."

"Preliminary! What do you mean?" Someone shouted. I groaned, both in pain and the fact that I'd have to fight again soon. Hopefully after a nice nap though.

"Sensei, I don't understand this preliminary but why aren't all the people here allowed to move on?" Sakura piped up from in front of me.

"Because the first and second test have been too easy this year... we have a bit too many people. According to Chunin Exam rules, we must have a preliminary and reduce the numbers of participants for the third test. As Hokage indicated earlier, there will be there will be many guests at the third test. So the fights could take too long, and we are limited in time.

"So, anyway. Those who aren't feeling well, those who feel like quiting after these explanations, please come forward now. Since we will be starting the preliminary immedietly." I groaned, my legs shaking. I didn't feel good, but I didn't want to quite either. Sasuke glanced behind me and furrowed his brows.

"You okay?" He asked, and I shook my head.

"Still... exhausted." I whispered, and he bit his lip.

"What! Right now?" Kiba shouted.

"Umm. I'm gonna quit." Kabuto's voice rang out as he raised his hand. My eyes snapped over.

"Huh? K-kabuto..." Naruto muttered.

"Umm, you're Kabuto Yakushi from the Leaf, right? you may leave now. Does anyone else wish to quit? I forgot to tell you it will be individual fighting. You may leave based on your own judgment."

"Kabuto why are you quiting?" Naruto shouted.

"Sorry Naruto, but my body's all beat up. I actually haven't been able to hear out of my left ear since the beginning of the exams. And now we'll have to risk our lives I just..." With that Kabuto waved at us, and walked off. Sasuke groaned and clutched at his scar too.

"Um, there are no more retiring now, right?" the referee asked.

"Sasuke! You and Koinu should also quit this Prelim! You've both been strange since that Orochimaru guy attacked us. You're marks still hurt, right? And you're still exhausted from that wolf business, Koinu! If you guys continue... Please..." Sasuke and I both blinked as her eyes brimmed with tears. "Please quit. I'm afraid..."

"Since when have I cared about you're opinion?" I growled.

"You're in no condition to fight right now! I can see it! You've both been hiding the pain all this time!"

"Be quiet." Sasuke hissed.

"Whatever you say I'm going to tell the sensei's about the marks!" Sakura's hand slowly began raising up, but Sasuke's clamped down over her wrist.

"Shut up about these marks." Sasuke growled.

"Why are you both so stubborn? I don't want to see either of you suffer anymore! To me you're both-"

"This has nothing to do with you. Stay out of my business." Sasuke snarled.

"And mine." I hissed.

"Sakura, I've told you before. I'm an avenger. This isn't just a test to me. I don't care about CHunin or whatever. 'Am I strong?' I just want to answer that. To just fight strong guys here. And they're here. I can't forgive even you if you take that away from me." Sasuke explained.

"You jerks! Stop acting all cool and tough! Can't you see that Sakura's worried about you?" Naruto barked.

"Naruto, you're one of the ones I want to fight. Same goes for you, Koinu."

Sasuke groaned and tightened his grip on the mark, as my mark also throbbed again.

"Now, let's begin the preliminary. This preliminary will consist of oneon one fighting. You will basically fight as if in a real life confrontation. Since we now have 21 members, there will be ten randomly selected matches. My pure luck and chance, the last one who hasn't fought will continue on, along with the winners, to the third test. There are basically no rules. The fight continues until one of you either dies or is knocked out or admits defeat. If you don't want to die than quickly admit defeat. But when I decide that the winner has clearly been established. Since we don't want to pointlessly increase the amount of corpses, I'll jump in and stop things. And the object that controls your destiny is..." Part of the wall slid open and a screen slowly slid in to place.

"Is this electronic scoreboard. It'll show the matchups for each battle. Now, this is sudden but let's announce the two names of the first fight."

I looked up at the screen as all of the names began randomizing. I spotted my name tons of time, and gulped, hoping it wouldn't show up on the screen. I blinked when the names finally appeared. The screen read:

Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akado.

"Now these two entrants come to the front. The two participants in the first fight are Yoroi Akado and Sasuke Uchiha. Are you ready?"

"Yes." Yoroi, one of Kabuto's teammates said as he walked to the front.

"Yeah." Sasuke replied as he took his spot about a yard in front of Yoroi.

"Now, we will be starting the first match. Will everyone except the two participants move to the upper level?" The referee asked. I groaned as I started moving, making sure not to take help from either Naruto or Sakura when they offered it. If I took it, these guys might disqualify me, and I'd have to wait until next year to try to make it to Chunin.

I groaned as we finally took up a spot from the upper level, and instantly flopped down on the landing. Naruto and Sakura stood on either side of me, and Kakashi stood behind me.

"Now, begin."


	8. I Need SLEEP! NOT a Fight!

**A/N: So, I'm sorry that this chapter is shorter than the rest :/ But I was bored forever today so I was writing like crazy. I got pissed off though with the last chapter because I typed it ALL out, and then I went to save it... and Fanfiction had me logged out. So I lost it all -_- So I went and watched Harry Potter and ate PB&J sandwhiches, and then decided to type it all back up. So after that I went and played a video game, then came back and decided to write more. :P**

**Ousama2: Thanks for being the first to review! :) Hope you like it so far!  
>Alpenwolf: Thanks for reviewing so much! Ikr, I HATE being ignored :P As for what else will happen, that's a secret. And really *scratches head and looks it up* -_-... oh lookie here, that's true. Oops... *nervous laughter* say, why don't we keep this a secret between us and act like nothing ever happened? Hahahaha, ok!<strong>

**Please review guys! I love getting them! :) **

**Chapter 8:**

**I need SLEEP! NOT a Fight!**

I was immersed in Sasuke's fight. I watched the fight as his enemy totally beat the crap out of him. Something about how he was able to absorb his chakra. What also annoyed me, was the fact that Sasuke wasn't using his sharingan. I blinked in shock as his enemy ran at him, and he used the same move Lee used against him at the beginning. I blinked and then smirked. I leaped up to my feet as the curse mark started activating, until he stopped its progression. I smirked and sat back down. I couldn't do that... or atleast up until this point I hadn't been able to. He had some serious will power.

"I'm stopping the fight! The winner of the first match, Sasuke Uchiha, has passed the prelims!" The referee announced. I smirked and rolled my eyes at Naruto. Kakashi went down and said a few things to Sasuke, telling the medics they weren't needed and that he'd personally take care of it. He then went over and talked to the referee, who coughed and nodded.

"Koinu, you're coming too!" Kakashi ordered. I growled and shook my head.

"I have to stay! Otherwise I'll be disqualified if I leave and get called for a match." I shouted back and stood up, my legs still shaking.

"Don't be an idiot. C'mon." Kakashi insisted, and when I shook my head Anko growled loudly.

"That's an order, Hashitaki!" Anko shouted, and I shook my head. "You dare defy orders from the Hokage!"

"If it means bringing honor to both myself and the village, than hell yeah! I fucking do! You got a problem with that?" I shouted back, and Anko was taken back. I exhaled sharply and sat back down, crossing my arms over my chest. Kakashi sighed and looked at the referee.

"Send someone to get me once she's finished with her fight, ok?" The referee nodded, before Kakashi and Sasuke shambled off of the arena in to a backroom somewhere. I looked at the screen as they scrambled for another fight.

The next fight was between Zaku Abumi and Shino Aburame. I watched the fight distractedly, until the winner was Shino Aburame after he blew the guy's arm off somehow. All I knew was that he used bugs, but that's all I really payed attention to. Right before they started the screen up again Kakashi appeared behind us. I didn't even bother to look behind me, keeping my head on the railing in front of me, trying to keep some form of coolness on my forehead, which was burning up. Sakura asked about Sasuke, and Kakashi told us that Sasuke was now sleeping in a hospital bed. Oh how I envied him.

"Koinu, are you alright?" Kakashi asked, I groaned and shook my head, but turned around to face him.

"But I'm still staying." I muttered, and then turned back around to my stomach grinding, neck burning torture. The screen scrambled until some guys named Misumi Tsurugi and Kankuro were to fight. I only gathered that the Misumi guy was the other teammate of Kankuro, and that Kankuro was from the sand village. Kankuro was a puppet master, and that's all I gathered until the fight ended with Kankuro winning. Naruto said something 'bout how fighting 2 on 1 was no fair or some crap, and Sakura explained basics of puppet fighting.

I still wasn't paying attention until they scrambled the screen up again. I looked at the names and smirked when it read 'Sakura Haruno vs Ino Yamanaka'. I smirked and then went back to not paying attention. The fight ended when both of them passed out. Afterwards, Kakashi and Ino's sensei's both brought them up. Everyone on their teams and then Lee crowded around them, except me. I growled as my stomach churned, and tried to ignore them. I then looked at the screens as they announced that some girls named Temari and Tenten were fighting. Temari was from the sand and used a fan, and Tenten was from Lee's team and used weaponry. That's all I knew until Temari won.

The screen scrambled and then 'Kin Tsuchi vs. Shikamaru Nara' was announced. Shikamaru ended up winning after using some shadow technique. And then the next fighting pair was Naruto and Kiba. I still didn't pay attention, except for at the end when Naruto farted in Kiba's face to win. Then next match was Neji Hyuga against Hinata Hyuga. Both Byakugan users. Hinata fought valiantly from what I saw, but then Neji won. Then it was Gaara vs. Lee. Gaara won, though Lee was REALLY strong too.

All who were left was Choji, the sound ninja, and me. One match left. I desperately hoped it wouldn't be me against someone. THe screen scrambled, only three names flitting through, and I groaned. The screen read 'Choji Akimichi vs. Koinu Hashitaki.' I grabbed the railing and leaped over it, landing on the main floor with my knees buckling a bit. I groaned and put my hand on the ground, before forcing myself to my feet. I'd have to rely on Garou for this one, thank God Garou was easy to survive with.

I walked to the middle of the room, when this fat guy walked out too. He wore a tan shirt underneath a green overcoat jacket thing with dark brown pants. He wore a long white scarf and had light brown hair.

"Are you ready?" The referee asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I muttered, and Choji nodded. "Let's get this over with, fatty."

Choji furrowed his brows and snarled at me in anger. "Did you just call me fatty?"

"Yeah, got a problem with it?"

"Begin!"

Choji roared as he made a handsign until he suddenly expanded in to a large fat boulder thing. I groaned and inwardly begged Garou for his chakra. While his pretty old self was taking his dandy old time inside me contemplating that idea, Choji was rolling towards me screaming "Human Boulder!" I groaned and doubled over, leaping out of the way and slid across the ground, unable to recover to my feet. I growled and gripped my neck as my scar began burning. My stomach started churning as I pushed myself shakily to my knees, before I started puking.

"Damn... it..." I gasped between puking.

I looked behind me, while Garou was STILL contemplating it, and my eyes widened as Choji slammed in to me, headlong. I flew back through the air, until the wall stopped my movement. I groaned, and flopped down on to the ground, before looking up and seeing Choji rolling towards me. I growled and pushed myself slowly and painfully to my knees, watching as my death spun towards me.

_C'MON, GAROU! I NEED HELP!_

CHoji slammed in to the wall, and smoke billowed out. He stopped rolling and changed back in to his normal self. Everyone in the crowd except for the few that didn't care gasped.

"C'MON, KOINU! DON'T LET A FATSO LIKE HIM BEAT YOU!" Naruto's voice shouted. The smoke cleared and Choji was standing by himself. He blinked in confussion, as did the referee.

I snarled as I appeared behind Choji. "Don't ever underestimate me, fatso." I growled, before slamming my fist in to the side of his head. Choji grunted and fell on to the floor. I snarled and followed up by slamming my fist in to his stomach, my mark burned in pain, but I ignored it as Garou's strength coursed through my veins. Choji coughed and spluttered, and I picked him up by the scruff of his scarf.

A few of my sharpened nails must have broken through the fabric because Choji groaned and blood started seeping from small cuts in his chest/neck area. I snarled and dropped him, before slamming my other fist in to his stomach. He coughed and blood splashed from his mouth, before he flew across the room and in to the other wall. I snarled and dropped down to all fours. It was obvious that Choji was unconcous, but that didn't stop my half-demon self from charging towards him. My sharpened nails left the same pattern of small holes in the ground everytime I took a step.

"Kionu, stop!" Kakashi's voice rang out before suddenly he appeared in front of me. His arm wrapped underneath me, and hooked underneath my shoulder as he picked me in to the air. My legs ran out underneath me, and I snarled as I flipped over on to my back. I ignored Kakashi and rolled to my hands and feet again, and managed to slink out from underneath Kakashi.

Suddenly, the other leaf Jonin leaped in between us. Choji's sensei Asuma (The Hokage's son) was in the front, while Kiba's sensei Kurenai was at his shoulder with Gai at his other shoulder. I snarled defiantly and covered myself in fire, using my fire bullet jutsu. I continued running, and Asuma ran straight at me. We slammed in to each other, and he groaned as the fire burned his arm slightly, but it was quickly dispelled as he pinned me on to the ground, knees digging in to my legs and hands clamped over my arms.

"Dammit let me go!" I shouted, fighting against him as much as I could. Kakashi's hand clamped over my neck, keeping my head from moving. Asuma looked in to my eyes and smirked.

"So this is the girl, huh Kakashi?" He asked. Kakashi nodded, and they both pulled me to my feet. Kakashi wrapped one arm around my chest, and the other around my neck.

"C'mon, Koinu." Kakashi murmered and started dragging me back to the room he'd taken Sasuke in.

"Winner is Koinu Hashitaki! Last remaining competitor also moves on! The prelims are now over!" And then the door closed behind us.

Kakashi threw me on to the ground in the middle of some sealing circle. I snarled and leaped to my feet, but Kakashi eas right in front of me. He grabbed the scruff of my shirt and picked me in to the air.

"Now be a good little demon and _sit still._" I snarled as he dropped me, but Garou seemed to realize that my fight was over and he took his power back from me. My knees buckled and I collapsed in to a pile of human flesh and clothes in the middle of the circle. Kakashi grabbed my shirt again and positioned me in a sitting position, before taking black ink and looking at me oddly. I sighed and took my shirt off, still wearing a white tank top underneath that revealed my stomach. I knew that that was what he wanted. I chucked my shirt over to the side.

He then began writing weird marks across my back from the curse mark, and then ones from the seal on my stomach for Garou. He put the ink to the side and sighed. He did a sring of handsigns, before placing a flat palm on my hand.

"Evil Sealing Method!" The weird signs started receeding in to my curse mark, and pain racked my body. I screamed in pain, and flopped down on to my back when he done. I groaned and Kakashi towered over me again, before chakra channeled in to his hand.

"Demon Sealing!" He then slammed his hand, fingers out, in to my stomach. I screamed in pain so long I was SURE everyone in the main room could hear me. I'd be surprised if they couldn't.

"Damn you... bastard." I groaned before finally passing out.

Ahhhh! Finally, some sleep!


	9. A New Sensei

**A/N:  
>Alpenwolf: Yeah... I knew that, lol. Srry it's just when I'm typing sometimes my fingers type one name when I'm thinking another one, lol. But thanks for pointing it out! :) And thanks for reviewing again!<strong>

**PLEASE please please review guys! I KNOW you're out there! I know it's not just Alpenwolf (whose like, my bestest friend at this point) and Ousama2 reading! SO please review, it'll make me so happy! :D**

**Chapter 9:**

**A New Sensei**

I groaned as my eyes fluttered open. I looked around in confusion. Bright lights blared down on me, and I groaned as I forced myself to a sitting position. I had bandages wrapped around my arms, and then ones wrapped around my legs. I was wearing a hospital gown with a pair of my normal clothes folded up on a chair beside my bed. I groaned and looked at the IV in my left arm. I growled and yanked it out, before getting out of bed and changing quickly. I yawned before walking out of the room calmly, and stopped as I stepped out. To my left and right there was an ANBU guarding my door. I blinked and looked at both of them, and they looked at me, before I made a mad dash down the hallway.

"Hey! Get back here!" One of them shouted. I growled in fury as I ran for the elevator, but right as I slid to a halt the doors slid closed. I cursed under my breath and then turned down another hallway. I glanced behind me as I ran, before suddenly slamming in to someone. I grunted as I tripped and fell back, my head slamming on the hard linoleum floor. I groaned and gripped my head, before opening my eyes and looking up.

"Whaddya want, Kakashi?" I growled as I sat up, before pushing myself to my feet.

"Why are you trying to get out of the hospital?" I heard slipping sounds as the ANBU turned around the corner and slid across the slick linoleum floor to a halt.

"Because I need to get to the Chunin Exams to participate!" I growled in response.

"No, you don't. As of two days ago you had a full month to prepare." Kakashi informed me, and I sighed.

"That happened after the sealings huh?" I muttered, rubbing my neck where the mark was at unconcously. Kakashi nodded, confirming my thoughts. "You're first fight will be against Shikamaru Nara. They drew numbered slips, and everyone chose the numbers 1-9, and they paired everyone up accordingly. So, you get to fight him."

I sighed and groaned. "Isn't he the guy that uses those shadow techniques?" I muttered.

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, that's him." I sighed and rubbed my head.

"So, hey! I got an idea! Why don't you train me?" I asked, smiling hopefully. Kakashi sighed and shrugged.

"Sorry, Koinu. But I have, er... special business to attend to."

"You're training Uchiha aren't you?" Kakashi blinked in surprise. "That's fine, I wouldn't expect you to want to train the unwanted tag along anyway." I snarled over my shoulder as I shoved passed him. "I'm outta here."

Kakashi sighed, but I continued down the hall. There were no sounds or signs of pursuit, so I calmly walked out of the hospital. I crossed my arms over my chest, mumbling in annoyance to myself. As I stepped in to the sunlight, I let it wash over me as I leaped in to the branches of a nearby tree and sat there for a moment. I'd have to go out searching for a mentor soon. Like, real soon. I crossed my arms over my chest as I thought. I watched as a man came walking calmly down the road towards the hospital, though he looked like he was in pristine condition. Maybe he was visiting someone.

As he came closer I saw that he was slightly tanned with long red hair that fell to his shoulders. He had dark brown eyes, and looked to be in his mid thirties. He had black, loose pants on with a white shirt and blue overcoat thing on. He also wore a blue sash around his head at forehead height. I watched his progress, and he glanced up to smile at me, and stopped in front of my tree.

"Uh, hey! Are you Koinu Hashitaki?" The man asked. His voice was rough, but at the same time smooth and pleasant. Weird.

"What's it to you?" I snarled, and Kakashi came walking out of the hospital, laughing nervously and rubbing the back of his head.

"Like I said, she's a tough nut." Kakashi laughed, and the man nodded.

"Yes, well. We'll see how much I get to know her by the third exam." I blinked in confusion.

"Oh, yeah. Koinu, this is your new sensei for the month. His name is Watiko Luguri."

"Just call me Watiko." The man smiled.

"Ok, so... when do we start the training?" I asked.

"Tomorrow we travel out of Konoha to a small village I live at in the fire country land. We'll train there."

"How long will it take to get there?"

"Probably about twelve hours."

"TWELVE HOURS!"

"Yes, wake up around 3 in the morning so you can have a nap when we arrive, and then we'll train."

"Wait, does he know?" I asked and turned to look at Kakashi.

"Yes, he knows both about your nighttime affairs and about Orochimaru." Kakashi nodded. I sighed in relief and turned back to face Watiko.

"Alright, so what do I do now?" I asked.

"Just pack for tomorrow and rest. Or, do whatever else you want for the day." Watiko smiled, and I smiled back. Maybe I could get used to him.

"Ok! Thanks, Watiko sensei! See you tomorrow morning at 3 at the gate!" I said, before speeding off towards my house.

* * *

><p>I sat in my bedroom, stuffing in an extra pair of clothes in to my backpack. I stood up and quickly stripped down before changing in to my pajamas: A simple pair of black pajama pants with the signs of all the different villages spread throughout it. I wore a gray shirt that was five sizes to big for me with a black crescent moon on the front. I stuffed my bag with the necesitys, rummaging through drawers looking for stuff.<p>

I stopped when I opened one, and found the necklace I'd been given by Motaroko. I sighed as I stared at the pitch black crescent moon attatched to the end. I closed my eyes as a flashback rolled over me.

* * *

><p><em>"Happy birthday, Koinu!" Motaroku laughed, his bushy brown hair waving in the slight breeze as he held out a small silver box at me. It was my tenth birthday, we had just graduated from the academy. I smiled and took the box, glancing at his vivid, emerald green eyes.<em>

_"Motaroku, you didn't have to get me anything." I muttered as I blushed and looked away from him._

_"Uh, yeah I did! You're my best friend!" He laughed and nudged my shoulder, before motioning to the box. "Now open it up!"_

_I smiled and dug my index finger's nail through the wrapping paper, before slicing it across. I then slid my fingers in and ripped it open, revealing a plain, small white box. I lifted the lid off, and nuzzled on top of a gray cloth lied a pitch black crescent moon, attatched to a black leather string. I blinked and stared at it, wondering what Motaroku's reasoning behind it was._

_"Uh, Motaroku? I mean, thanks and all... but why'd you get me a moon? I mean, you know WHY I hate the moon and all."_

_"Yeah, but even if you didn't have that wolf inside you you'd be a creature of the night. Even if you'd grown up to be your awesome self without that demon in you,you'd still exlpore the forest at night and be a creature of the night. And you know it!" Motaroku smiled at me. "So, I thought it was the perfect gift!"_

_I smiled as I looked at it again, now understanding and realizing that it WAS the perfect gift._

_"I don't see how you can look at me and treat me like a normal human being, even though you've known what lives inside of me before we even went to the Academy." I said, because it was true. Motaroku had been the only kid to approach me when I was alone on the playground. He'd befriended me and about a week after I told him I didn't understand why he accepted me. He asked why, and I'd told him about Garou. But he'd only smiled and told me about how he didn't care about the demon, and all that mattered was that I was just supposed to be myself._

_"I've already told you, Koinu. I like you for who you are. Not some stupid demon." He smiled and grabbed my pinky with his pinky, and laughed. "Pinky promise that we'll always be friends, Koinu. No matter what."_

_"I swear it!" I laughed._

_"You do realize that if you break that promise, then I get to break your pinky without any retaliation, right?" Motaroku asked, I laughed in understanding, before taking the necklace out of it's box and slid it over my head._

* * *

><p>I growled and took the box that the necklace had been in and threw it across the room. I slid the necklace back on and glared at the box, tears starting to leak out of my eyes.<p>

"You promised..." I sobbed. "You'd promised we'd always be there for eachother..." I clenched my hands in to fists. "YOU PROMISED!" I shrieked, and kicked the chair that had sat in front of my desk over. I missed Motaroku, desperately. He's the only person in the whole damn world who's ever treated me like an actual person. Uchiha, Naruto, and Sakura don't care about me. They just want to get through the exams. Kakashi practically admitted that I was just an extra load on the team's shoulders.

But I never asked for it! I was perfectly fine with my team! Me and Motaroku, the best two on the team who were as close as two friends could be! Rashin, the strategist who hung back, but could also hold his own in a fight. He knew about me, treated me like a human too. We were close, but never as close as me and Motaroku. And then Gakuro sensei. The man who treated me like his daughter, who I wished was my biological father.

I curled up in the corner of my room as I let the memories of how my team and family had been slaughtered and killed in front of me. Between each of their deaths the only thing I could see was Orochimaru's face. That bastard's face. Anger flared through me with my grief, and I hissed as the mark burned, but forced that other demon away. I would kill Orochimaru one day. Not today, but one day I would.

_"Why kill him? You know he can offer you greater strength?" _Garou's voice pushed itself in to my head.

"Piss off, Garou." I snarled, and he did. He left me alone. That was how our relationship worked. We hated each other, but we also respected and helped each other to survive.

I finished packing my bags, set my alarm clock for 2:30, and then curled up in bed. I didn't bother to take my necklace off or pick up that box or the chair.

* * *

><p>BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. I snarled as my alarm clock went off, WAY to early to be getting up. I rolled over and slammed my hand on the off button, before grudgingly getting up. I changed in to my normal clothes, and stuffed my pajamas in my bag. I then opened my bedroom door and went to the bathroom, brushing my teeth and hair and just getting ready. After that, I packed up my toiletry items and threw them in my bag too. THen I grabbed my bag, turned my room's light out, and went to the kitchen.<p>

I heated up a bowl of ramen, devoured it, and then went outside to the village gates. As I walked through the town, the few people who were up and about avoided me like the plague. I ignored them though, it's been like this since I could remember. I sighed as I stopped at the gate, waiting a whole five seconds until Watiko showed up. He nodded to me, before we headed out.

It took, as expected, forever. My legs were aching after five hours of walking, and I groaned.

"How much longer do we have?" I whined, sounding like those spoiled little brats.

"About seven hours. Don't worry, you'll be fine."

And so I starved and suffered for seven more hours. Finally, when I felt sure that I was a member of the walking dead, Watiko stopped and smiled at me.

"We're here."

I looked up to find that we were in a little village. Or, atleast on a hill overlooking it. There was a strip of stores that the town needed, with houses surrounding it and then farms surrounding those. Watiko smiled before we continued down the road. But, before we reached the village he turned down a dirt road secluded in the forest. At the end of the road, there was a two-story wooden cabin. I blinked and Watiko opened the door, motioning me in.

As I walked in, the first thing I noticed was the smell of rice and fish wafting through the house. My mouth watered and a girl in her early or mid twenties popped her head out of the kitchen and smiled. She wore a simple brown robe, and sweat beaded over her brow. She had beautiful brown hair pulled up in to a sloppy bun, with the warmest amber brown eyes ever.

"Dinner will be ready in about five minutes, Watiko." She said, Watiko nodded, and she then returned to cooking.

"That's Sintaki. She's a sweet girl. Never really had the desire to fight or be apart of any of that. Her parents were killed by bandits, so I adopted her a while ago. She's taken care of me and fed me ever since. She's more of a housekeeper or somthing besides a daughter in-law." He laughed lightly. "Why don't you go upstairs and unpack? First room on the right, feel free to use the drawers." I nodded and walked down the hall, glancing through a doorway to find Sintaki smoldering over the food. I walked all the way down the hall, and turned right to find a stairwell.

I climbed up the stairs, before sliding the first door on the right open. When I opened it, I wasn't surprised to find a pretty small room, but I didn't care. All that was in there was a bed, and a drawer at the end. I opened the drawers (there were three). In the top one I put my extra set of clothes. In the middle one I put sentimental stuff like pictures and such, and in the bottom I tossed my empty backpack. I stood up and cocked my head to the side when I spotted a partially slide open door on the side of the room. I walked open and slid it open, finding it to be a bathroom. The bathroom contained a shower, toilet, and sink.

I closed the door as I walked out, doing the same with my bedroom door. I climbed down the stairs, before finding Watiko standing at the bottom. He smiled warmly, before leading me down the hall and sliding the door across from the kitchen open. Inside was a relatively normal sized table, with windows lining the other side. Sintaki was sitting at one end, smiling at me warmly. Watiko sat at the end across from her, and I sat in between both of them. In front of all of us there was a plate with a fried fish, with some vegetables and rice. I gulped as my mouth watered again.

"Hi, I'm Sintaki." Sintaki smiled warmly, and I smiled back. I couldn't help but like her.

"Hi, nice to meet you, Sintaki. I'm Koinu." I replied, Sintaki replied saying how it was nice to meet me, and we began eating. I picked up my chopsticks, broke them apart, and began devouring my food. I was done before either Sintaki or Watiko were halfway through. Sintaki smiled at me.

"I figured you two would be hungry after your traveling. There's more in the kitchen." She laughed as I grabbed my plate and all but sprinted in to the kitchen. I piled another fish and some more rice and vegetables on my plate, before running back to the table and devouring my food again. Once we were all done eating, Watiko yawned.

"Yes, well, Koinu and I are going to bed for a little bit. I'll come wake you when it's time to train, Koinu." I nodded, said a goodbye to Sintaki, before climbing the stairs to my room again. I flopped down on my bed, and fell asleep as my head hit the pillow.


	10. Darkness Runs in the Family

**AN: Ah, so we've reached Chapter 10. Cool! :D**

**Alpinewolf: well, best friend on fanfiction anyway? Lol, I'm just REALLY thankful for the reviews :) Thanks again!**

**Please review guys! I'd LOVE to get some more!**

**Chapter 10:**

**Darkness Runs in the Family**

"Koinu, get up! It's time to train!" Not even a minute later it seemed Watiko was yelling in to my room. I yelped and dived off of my bed. Watiko closed my door, and I heard his retreating footsteps. I growled and looked out the window over my bed. DUDE! The sun wasn't even DOWN yet! I mean, it was setting, but it wasn't down yet! Plus, he knew about Garou! Why did he want me training when the moon was up? I groaned and brushed my hair and put deodorant on, before climbing down the stairs. Sintaki smiled at me in the hallway, before pointing to a door that was slid open.

I walked in to the room, and there was a door at the far end also slid open. I walked out in to the setting sun, looking around. There was a trail that led deeper in to the forest. I didn't see Watiko, so I figured he was either down there, or he could find me down there. I yawned and stretched, before walking down the path. As I walked, I watched as the sun sank lower beyond the horizon. I gulped when there was only a sliver left, and then sprinted down the rest of the trail.

By the time I reached the end, the sun had sank below the horizon and I was slinking in the shadows. I reached the outskirts of the clearing at the end. The clearing, was big enough to have another house, if it weren't for the lake. The lake took up most of the clearing. In the middle of the lake there was a decent patch of land, enough to spar with two people. In the middle of that patch of land, Watiko sat in a meditive position. His eyes shot open and he glanced over at me.

"You know how to walk on water, right Koinu?" He asked.

"Yeah." I replied.

"Then come out to me." He called, and I snarled. I would NOT go out there.

"The moonlight is between here and there." I growled, my hand snatching up and clenching my necklace. Motaroku. Watiko sighed.

"I might as well warn you, using my chakra and spreading it throughout the area around me, when it latches on to your chakra I feel your emotiones, so I know what you feel." I flinched slightly in embarasment. "And you will come out here, don't worry about the wolf inside you. When it tries to claw out force it back. You aren't a wolf, Koinu. Control it." I sighed and looked at the spot in front of me where the darkness gave way to moonlight.

I gulped and took a step forward. Instantly I was swallowed in moonlight and groaned as Garou clawed inside of me, clawing his way to get part of himself out of me. I collapsed to my knees and gripped at my stomach. I gritted my teeth and growled in pain and fury. Trying to push Garou back inside of me in moonlight. In his element, was like fighting fire with oil.

I yelled in pain. His claws scraped at my stomach and bones, trying to claw through my skin. I could feel my nails and teeth grow sharper.

* * *

><p><em>"Stop resisting, Koinu!" Garou snarled at me, and I snarled back, standing straight in the moonlight in our little meeting clearing.<em>

_"Leave me alone, Garou! If I want you're power I'll ask you for it!"_

_"But it's moonlight! I survive and thrive in moonlight!"_

_"I don't care! Stay back!"_

_Garou snarled and barked as he leaped forward at me. I ducked and rolled underneath him, creating handsigns as I landed in a crouched position, facing him. He turned and sprinted at me. I finished my handsign and glared at Garou with my eyes._

_"Fire style: Fire Stream Jutsu!" I snarled. I threw my hands in front of me, and opened my mouth. Fire flared from all three spots at Garou. Garou trieed sliding to a halt, but tripped up and was hit. _

* * *

><p>Garou stopped fighting to try and get out. I gasped and my eyes shot open. There was no pain. Only a slight itching that indicated Garou was more than willing to make himself known. My head shot open to look at Watiko.<p>

"How did you know?" I gasped, getting to my feet.

"I've dealt with demons before. He no longer should fight as hard as he has in the past to get out of your body. However, you'll change if your emotions get the best of you." Watiko smiled. I took a deep breath and channeled chakra in to my feet, and stepped out on to the lake. I channeled and circulated my chakra to be able to walk on the water. I continued walking along the lake, until I stepped on the island in the middle of said lake.

"If you do change, and wish to turn back in to a human, just imagine sunlight touching you if it's night. If it's during the day, you'll have to fight Garou back inside of you." I nodded, before sitting down in front of Watiko.

"Now, answer me something. What chakra nature do you use?"

"Fire and lightning." I answered.

"Mmmm. Tell me, have you ever heard of shadow chakra?" I blinked. Chakra? No. Jutsu? Yeah. Easily. I cocked my head to the side.

"Are you sure you aren't talking about jutsu?" I asked.

"No, shadow chakra."

"Then no, I've never heard of shadow chakra."

"Well, maybe I should first explain something. I knew both your mother and father. How they died and sealed the wolf demon in you is a complete mystery to me. You're mother, however, came from a clan that utulized darkness and shadows, eventually making it to where it was actual chakra. It passed through the family, and I'm sure you have it. I lived with their clan for about ten years, just practicing and trying to utulize it, and eventually I did."

"So, how do I go about doing that?"

"It should be easier for you, seeing as how you have the demon wolf and all, but what you have to do is focus on channeling your chakra throughout your body, and also on all your anger and fury. Everything that's ever pissed you off." I nodded, and stood up.

I stood up straight, and made the generic tiger handsign, focusing on my chakra. Then, I focused on all of my hurt, pain, and anger. My parents dying. Garou being sealed in me. Everyone in the village hating me, when they didn't even know me! Motaroku dying. My sentimental brothers and father being killed in front of me. Orochimaru burdening me with his curse mark. Kakashi looking at me as a burden. Sasuke being burdened with that stupid curse. Having everyone I ever cared about stripped out of my life.

I felt the darkness surging through me. I don't know how I did know, seeing as how I'd never felt it before. But I just _knew._

And then all I could picture was Motaroku's emerald eyes. They were so lifelike, I thought maybe his death had been a dream. Then i thought about all of our good memories. Getting in to trouble, starting a food fight in the cafeteria at the academy, throwing a stink bomb in the classroom at the academy. All those good memories.

I yelped as there was a pop and my skin lighted on what felt like fire. I flew back, splashing in to the lake. I growled and swam to the surface, gasping for air as my head broke over. Watiko sighed and looked at me sharply.

"To be able to use it, there must be nohappy memories mixing in to the unhappy ones. You have to learn to dwell in the darkness when wanting to use this chakra, and be happy outside of it." I nodded and pulled myself up again. I concentrated on my chakra again, and forced myself to only think negatively. Once I could feel the chakra again, I channeled it in to my hands, and opened up my eyes. There were covered in chakra, but the chakra was a deep black, but you could still see my hands. My face split in to a grin, and I looked at Watiko, who nodded back.

"Now we will begin training you on being able to shoot it at enemies and how to enshroud yourself using the shield. After that, you may experiment with it what you will.

So we trained like that. Everyday. During the afternoon after about one (he let me sleep in until then because we trained until about five or six in the morning when the sun rose) we worked on the darkness techniques. We sparred using them, and even a few times he let me experiment with trying to merge them with other jutsu. We trained and trained and trained those weeks. I got to know Watiko and Sintaki. They were like an aunt and uncle to me.

We went in to town a few times, and when we did Watiko let me roam on my own. I was out and about, eating a popsicle I had bout once, not paying attention to where I was going. Suddenly I slammed in to a boy who was about a foot taller than me. I yelped and fell back, landing on my butt. I growled and looked up, and gasped in shock. He had a mop of brown hair and piercing emerald eyes. All I could think was: Motaroku. The boy was maybe a year or two older than me and he smiled. I then noticed the leaf headband tied to his bicep.

"Sorry bout that." He apologized, helping me to my feet. I blinked and shook my head. No, there was a definite difference between Motaroku and him.

"No, it's my fault. I'm sorry." I muttered, dropping my gaze.

"Forget about it." He laughed, and I looked up and he was smiling in a comforting way. "I'm Raijeku. The Leaf Village sent me here to protect the village, watch out for intruders ya know? This village is a major stopping center for traveling lords and what not." He explained, and I nodded.

"I'm Koinu. I'm training under Watiko until the third Chunin exam test." I don't know how to explain it, but when I looked at Raijeku, my heart leaped. He smiled, and that began our friendship. Everytime I came to the village I'd talk and hang out with him until we left. Sometimes I even snuck out when I was supposed to sleep to see him, though I suspected that Watiko knew about that.

Anyway, one night, Watiko and me decided to spar.

Watiko came sprinting at me, fists enshrouded in the dark chakra. I ducked and dodged them as best as I could. Once, he left himself slightly open. I stuck my hand out, and concentrated. It took me a second, but the dark chakra shot out of my hand like a beam. It would've hit him straight on had he not used the darkness as a shield. I groaned as he shot a beam out at me, and focused on the shield. I was able to make an ok one, but it took a while. So in spur of the moments right now, until I trained and mastered it better, it'd be a shield where I needed it. Watiko told me it was incredible that I could do certain spots anyway.

So I focused in front of my chest, where the beam was aimed. A block of darkness swelled in front of me and absorbed the beam. I then snarled and lunged forward, connecting my fist with his shoulder. He smirked and we began trading punches and kicks, no longer using chakra. Only when his hand wrapped around my wrist and he threw me in to the lake was it over. Oh, so many nights ended that way when we sparred. I don't think I've beaten him once yet. I coughed as I dragged myelf on land again, moping, but Watiko smiled.

"This was your last night of training, Koinu. Tomorrow you may go back to Konoha to rest until the test in two days." I blinked.

"Will you come?" Was all I could ask, and when Watiko nodded I broke in to a smile. Suddenly I appeared behind Watiko, and hugged him tightly.

"Thanks, Watiko-sensei." I murmered, before running to my room. I packed my bag and fell asleep quickly. That morning Sintaki made ramen, and after I ate I said goodbye to both of them, before leaving. But instead of going to the path that led to Konoha, I went to the nearby village. When I walked in I instantly spotted out Raijeku.

"Hey, Rai!" Rai was my nickname for him. Rai spun around and smiled warmly at me.

"Hey, Koinu!" He replied as he walked over to meet me. "Why are you here so early?"

"I'm going back to Konoha. Tomorrow's the test." I replied, looking away from his startling green eyes.

"Oh, that's... too bad..." I looked back up as the question I itched to ask finally bubbled out.

"Will you come?" I asked. Rai thought about it for what seemed like ages, before nodding.

"Sure. But only 'cuz I know that anyone trained by my Uncle Watiko will win!" I blinked.

"Watiko's your uncle?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah, my mother's brother, though my mom's dead. But yeah, I am." He laughed. I blinked and smiled.

"Well, I gotta hit the road, but I can't wait to see you there, Rai!" I gave him my address quickly, so he could stay there if he needed, or just to drop by if he could before the exam. "You'll probably have to leave tonight... the exam starts at 8 in the morning." Rai sighed.

"That means an early day here then." He laughed, before waving me off.

I walked down the path to Konoha, a new spring in my step. No longer did I fear night, I could be the night creature I was, and not fear it! It took awhile, but finally I arrived back at the village, the sun deep in the sky, but not yet setting. As I walked down the familiar roads, I was surprised to hear that stupid voice scream my name.

"Koinu!" Naruto shouted, a few meters down the road in front of me. He laughed and waved, before running up to meet me. "Hey, where'd ya go!"

"I was training, idiot." I laughed, Naruto smiled.

"Yeah? Well me too! Yeah, believe it! There's this pervy sage who taught me alot!" He laughed, and I was surprised as I joined in.

"Well, Naruto, I'm gonna hit the hay. Sorry, but I just walked 12 hours to get here, and I wanna be ready to go by tomorrow!" Naruto nodded in understanding, and when I came home I unpacked. I set aside a fresh new pair of my clothes for tomorrow. I looked at my necklace, and decided to keep it on. Afterall, I'd worn it the whole time I was out training. Seems like it'd be bad luck to take it off. I restocked my kunai pack and my ninja pouch, setting them on top of my clothes and sitting my Konoha headband on top of that. I straightened up the mess I'd made before leaving, and then flopped down on my bed. I was exhausted, to say the least, and fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

* * *

><p>BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. I groaned and rolled over, slamming down on my alarm clock and turning it off. I growled and got up. I lazily threw my clothes on, and stopped to stare at my necklace and headband, thought of Motaroku washing over me again. I sighed and slid on my necklace, and then tied my headband on. I finished getting ready, before walking out of my house. As I walked down the streets, I found that they were desertes. When I finally reached the stadium, Naruto was there. He spotted me, smiled, and waved.<p>

"Hey, Koinu!" He shouted.

When I reached him, we were standing outside of the stadium with the three sand shinobi and Shino. We waited a few more minutes, waiting until Shikamaru arrived. I blinked. Where was Sasuke? The man that was with us led us inside, saying he'd have to catch up. We stood in the middle of the arena as people showed up and filed in to the seets. I sighed inwardly. Rai hadn't stopped by my house, if he came at all. Maybe he'd only lied. I lowered my eyes to the ground.

A few more minutes passed, and I shuffled my feet in the dirt, shoving my hands in my pockets. I glanced down the line of competitors and growled. Naruto looked at me in confusion, Shikamaru next to him. Naruto blinked, waiting for an answer.

"Sasuke isn't here. Neither is that sound ninja guy." I hissed, Naruto blinked and looked himself, and qrinkled his eyes brows in confusion.

"Hey, stop looking around. In this main event, you guys are the stars." Our new referee said. He wore the same outfit Kakashi wore, but his headband was a bandana and it was tied backwards. He also kept a twig in his mouth. I gulped and looked forward at the arena, and instantly spotted the Hokage, and then the Kazekage. I blinked and looked down the line at the sand ninja. So that was their leader huh? I blinked when I saw how the redhead looked at their leader. He was glaring at him, but not a normal glare. It was one full of hatred and loathing. Like he personally wanted to rip the man's throat out. I gulped and looked back ahead.

I scanned the section blocked off for the sensei of the participating students, their teammates supposed to be there too. I chewed my lip as I spotted Sakura, and began scanning for brown hair. But, that was like looking for a needle in a haystack. There were so many brown heads. I sighed and gave up. They'd obviously lied. None of them were here. I watched as the Hokage stood up, hands behind his back.

"Thanks everyone for coming to the Hidden Leaf CHunin Exam." He roared, loud enough that everyone in the stadium could hear him. "We will now start the main tournament matches. Between the nine participants whomade it through the preliminaries! Please stay and watch until the end!" He then sat down and our referee turned to face us.

"Before we begin look at this." He said as he took out and unfolded a piece of paper, holding it out for us to see. I ooked at it, and smirked. I'd be fighting Shikamaru if he beat this Temari girl, or the Temari girl if she beat Shikamaru. Either way I'd be fighting an already tired opponent. Perfect. I blinked though. Where was that sound ninja guy? Did he forfeit?

"Hey! Sasuke isn't here yet! What're you gonna do?" Naruto piped up.

"If he doesn't show up by the time of his match, he will receive an automatic loss." The referee replied like it was nothing. A growl erupted from my throat. If that Uchiha got cold feet about fighting me, I swear to god so help me when I see him.

"Alright guys, this is the final test. The arena is different, but the rules are the same as in the prelims... there are none. You fight until one of you dies or acknowledges defeat. But if I determine that the fight is over, I'll step in and stop it. You got that?" We stood there in silent acknowledgment. The man nodded. "Alright, now for the first fight. Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyuga. Those two stay here while the rest of you go to the waiting room." As I passed Naruto, I smacked his back.

"Good luck, fox boy." I smiled. "If you lose now, and then Sasuke doesn't show up, I swear to God the next time I see both of you you're dead." Naruto smiled and nodded. The rest of us walked in to a hall in the back of the arena, climbed up a flight of stairs, and stopped at a small balcony a good ways up the arena wall. I took a seat behind the railing, and leaned my head on it. Time to watch the fun.

I watched their fight intently. The whole time Neji said something about how talent was decided at birth, and that not anyone can be chosen as Hokage through hard work. I watched as he activated the nine-tails' chakra again. But, he had complete control over it. I growled inwardly. He controlled it so easily, I was almost jealous. I could only control Garou somewhat, and even then during our training the past month, when I'd thought about the pain, sometimes I'd changed instead of producing the dark chakra.

Eventually, Naruto won. When he was decided as winner I smiled and stood up.

"Hey, Uzumaki!" I shouted, leaning over the rail. Naruto stopped prancing around the arena.

"Don't forget that if you wanna fight me, you'll have to go through Sasuke first!" I shouted. Naruto smirked, before finally climbing the stairs and in to the balcony. They announced the next match as Kankuro (one of the sand ninja) vs. Shino Aburame. I glanced at the two ninja in turn. That Kankuro guy used puppets, and Shino used bugs. Oddest pairing ever, but whatever. They didn't even start moving before the sand ninja guy quit. I blinked and glared at him. Was he mocking us Leaf Shinobi? Or what?

The examiner nodded, before glancing at the schedule again, and then smirked.

"Alright then, the next match will be Shino Aburame vs. Koinu Hashitaki." I blinked and growled.

"Hey! Mine was after Temari and Shikamaru's! You can't just move me ahead!" I shouted, leaping to my feet.

"Yes, we can! The extra Genin just forfeited so now it's your turn!" I snarled, before gripping the railing tightly. My stomach was doing backflips, and I just... didn't want to start a fight without waiting for Sasuke. Plus, Rei or Watiko weren't here. Rei said he'd stop by my house before. I snarled, before leaping over the railing I released the railing as I fell, and only after my fight if I won would I realized that I'd bent the railing.

I landed on the ground and glared at the examiner. Shino landed on the groun near me as he leaped over the railing too, before we began walking in to the middle of the arena. I took my spot across frmo Shino, and glared at the bug freak.

"Don't even think you'll win this." I snarled, only loud enough that Shino and the examiner could hear me.

Shino sniggered. "What? You think a mangy mutt like you could actually beat me? You were too exhausted after the second exam to even fight someone worthy."

I growled. "You better watch your mouth, bug freak. You don't even know WHY I was that exhausted."

"Yes, I do. Because you're too weak to beat anyone worthy of fight-" I snarled and lunged forward, my fist connecting with Shino's face before he could even finish his sentence. Shino grunted before flying back, and slamming in to the ground. He groaned and glared at me, a scrape on his cheek from where I'd punched him. He stood up, and if looks could kill I'd probably be dead... though, if looks could kill nobody in this village would be living.

"Hey! I didn't say start yet!" The examiner shouted and I glared at him.

"Then start the damn match." He blinked at me in surprise, before sighing.

"The second match will be between Koinu Hashitaki and Shino Aburame! Begin!" I darted forward, and threw my fist at Shino, aiming for his chest. A small wall of bugs formed in front of my fist, catching it easily. I growled and spun around, throwing my leg out to hook around and hit Shino's head. Another wall of bugs appeared and caught my leg. I went to move my leg, but the bugs hooked over both my leg and hand.

I growled when I literally felt them begin to eat away at my chakra. I hissed before moving my hand so that my palm faced Shino. I glared at him as I began focusing. Pain. Hatred. All of the reasons for why my life sucked. I channeled chakra in to my hand, having to channel more because the bugs only became more excited as the chakra flowed more quickly. I roared as a beam of my dark chakra shot out. Shino gasped as he was hit square in the chest with my chakra. He flew back and the bugs that held my leg and hand quickly flew towards the falling Shino, before creating a sort of sheet underneath him, catching him before he hit the ground.

Shino was then pushed to his feet from the bugs. I flexed my fingers, and cracked my neck. Shino did a string of handsigns. Once he finished he held his arms out in front of him, and waves of insects flew out and flew towards me. I leaped out of the way as a cloud of insects lunged at me, before having to duck underneath another one. Soon the insect clouds formed in to thick streams, before spiraling around the area. Shino sniggered.

"Bug Style: Spindle Formation." I leaped over a branch of the insects, before being backhanded across the chest by another. I was surprised to find that it felt solid enough. I fell to the ground, unable to recover before the bugs all swarmed over me.

"Secret Technique: Insect Sphere." And then I could do nothing but lay there as the bugs began feeding on my chakra. I heard the crowd cheer for Shino, very few groaned as it seemed I would lose. I growled. I would NOT lose. I would not be considered a weakling, only getting here because I fought some lame weakling in the prelims and having made it there because of Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. No. I would win if it were the last thing I did.

I closed my eyes, and focused. I focused on all the pain I'd felt my life. How isolated I'd always been. I could feel the dark chakra began rising, all I'd have to do now is just focus it through my body and hope to make the shield. I grunted as I pushed chakra throughout my whole body, hoping it wouldn't be a wasted effort. I assumed it looked like nothing changed on the outside, because what I heard next thoroughly surprised me.

"GET UP, KOINU! DON'T LOSE TO THIS WEAKLING!" Rei's voice broke through the crowd. Rei. An image of Rei popped in to my mind through the bad memories, and I couldn't help it as one of Motaroku also appeared.

I screamed in pain as the dark chakra exploded from lack of concentrating. The bugs dispersed and I flew back across the arena, my back slamming in to the wall. I groaned and fell to my knees, my hand clutching my chest. I coughed, and blood splattered the grass in front of me. I looked up to glare at Shino, before snorting as a bug crawled out of my nose. Oh shit. They were inside me. Dammit I'd been breathing them in when I was encased with them.

"You're going to lose. Examiner, this fight is over. The bugs are now inside of you and will eat your chakra from the inside out." I coughed again to confirm what he said as more blood spattered the grass in front of me, and I groaned.

Dammit. Maybe I really was weak. Maybe I'd been deluding myself, and this was my destiny. My streak of failure started here. Up to now, I'd always been ridiculed because Garou dwelled in me. I'd always been treated differently then everyone else, and I'd always knwon why. I'd accepted it, though I'd hated it. The only human in the world who truely cared for me when I was a kid was Motaroku. As if confirming me the necklace Motaroku'd given me slid out from behind my shirt, and dangled in front of my face, no longer hidden. I blinked.

_"Motaroku, how can you look at me and not be disgusted like everyone else?"_

_"Because you're not a demon like everyone says you are, Koinu! You're a human being! Plus, you're the strongest person I know!" _

_"But everyone sees me for the demon that's in me."_

_"Because they're all shallow idiots. The only ones who don't are sensei, me, and Rashin! That's why we care about you."_

_"But, not everyone else in the world can be shallow... Plus, I know I'm not strong. I get beaten by all the Chunin and Jounin I've challenged. Maybe I'm just deluding myself..."_

_"Koinu, look at me. People aren't strong just with brawns. You've gotta be smart too. And that's what you are. You analyze a situation and you're able to do that. Plus, you have enough physical strength and stamina to pull it off without a hitch!"_

_"But-"_

_"Koinu, even if you weren't it doesn't matter. Me and you, we'll be able to pull anything off as long as we work together."_

_"But-"_

_"Because we're friends!"_

I roared in fury. Damn Orochimaru! Damn him for taking my greatest friend from me! I snarled as I bent forward again. No, I couldn't lose here and now. I had to keep going for Motaroku. To avenge his death along with Rashin and Sensei's. I had to live and strive towards strength and power. That was the only way I'd kill Orochimaru. I glared at Shino, who flinched from the glare.

_"Garou, lend me some chakra."_

_"Why should I-"_

_"DON'T EVEN START! JUST GIVE IT TO ME!"_

_Garou snarled, but complied. _

I felt my teeth and nails sharpen, and could feel strength coursing through me. My curse mark started to itch. I sniggered. I had another backup plan if this didn't work. I crouched down and placed my hands on the ground. Time to 'experiment'. Maybe this wasn't the perfect moment to try it out, but I still had to. I snarled and covered myself in fire. I then began sprinting at Shino as I felt the hatred and hurt that came from the 13 years of my life. Dark chakra started merging with my fire chakra, and it began swirling around me like to circling dogs ready to fight.

I growled as I ran towards Shino, being faster than I normally was. I guess he couldn't keep up with me, though I didn't feel like I was running _that _fast. I ducked and leaped over his bugs as they tried to block me from him, and finally reached him. I snarled and leaped forward, throwing myself at him. As I soared towards him I pulled two kunai out, one in each hand, and channeled the same half fire half dark chakra through them. As I slammed in to Shino, I stabbed one of kunai in to his shoulder, and the other in his leg.

Shino howled in pain, collapsing to the ground and grabbing at his leg. I flipped over him, and landed on the ground behind him. With my heightened senses, thanks to Garou, I smelled the blood almost instantly. My throat itched to have the liquid running down it. What the hell? I'd never felt like this before! I grabbed my throat, before coughing again thanks to those cursed bugs of Shino's, and my own blood splattered the ground, but it was more than before.

I watched as the chakra swirled and disappeared from around me. I turned around to look at Shino, who did the same. However, I stood up, shakily I might add, but he couldn't. I stumbled over to tower over Shino, though I was out of arms reach. I sighed and stared at his eyes, though I couldn't see them through his pitch black glasses. I let Garou's strength slip away, I could tell just from Shino's posture that he was done.

"I'm not weak." Was all I said.

"What are you? How did you survive my bugs?"

"I don't give up. I've had so much pain and hatred in my life, I've decided to give up. I don't care anymore about how people look at or treat me. If they hurt the ones I care about, then yes... I will kill them." Orochimaru's face flashed in my mind. He was my number one target. "But, I don't care how they treat me. I've been kicked down so many times, and I've been forced to get up that it's made me a stronger person."

"Then why were you beat up so bad at the prelims?" Shino groaned.

"If you'd met the people we did there, you'd be beat up too." Shino sighed and nodded.

"I don't know what you are, but I won't treat you differently or as a friend. You've earned my respect Koinu Hashitaki." I smiled and Shino sighed and looked at the examiner.

"I, Shino Aburame, acknowledge defeat." The examiner nodded, and then turned to face the audience.

"The winner is Koinu Hashitaki!" He shouted, and to my immense surprise there was a collective roar of applause. I blinked and looked at the crowd in confusion. I didn't care about any of them! Except for Rei- wait! Where was he?

"Way to go, Koinu!" Naruto's voice blasted over the roar.

"I knew you could do it!" I suddenly heard Rei's, and scanned the crowd for his face, before spotting him. He was in the front row on the far right row. He was waving excitedly at me, and next to him was Watiko sensei and then Sintaki. My face broke in to a wide smile.

And then I doubled over and puked up blood. I groaned and placed my hand on the ground to stable myself, my knees buckling slightly. Shino gasped and held his hand out. I looked up, and he placed his index finger on my forehead. Slowly his bugs began crawling out of my system. I smiled in thanks, helping him up and helping him limp over to the doctors.

"You fought wonderfully, Shino. Thanks for the match." I muttered, before returning up through the stairs and joining Naruto. I took my seat back, before watching as Shikamaru and Temari fought next. The sand ninja girl used a giant fan. Their fight was so entrancing, and at the end I KNEW Shikamaru would win. He had her in a stalemate! I was THOROUGHLY surprised when he gave up.

"C'MON MAN! YOU COULDA WON!" Naruto's voice shouted. I groaned, and gulped. Where was Sasuke? Suddenly there was a small whirlwind that formed in the middle of the arena when Temari joined us on the balcony again. I blinked, and narrowed my eyes, before smiling. It was Sasuke and Kakashi sensei.

"Hey, Sasuke! 'Bout time! I'd thought you'd gotten cold feet about fighting me and Koinu!" Naruto shouted, and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Like I'd pass up the oppurtunity to beat the crap out of both of you." I smirked, before watching as Gaara climbed down the stairs and took up a spot in the arena across from Sasuke. Naruto groaned, before turning around and began running from the balcony. I blinked, before getting up and running after him. We ran down a loooong corridor, before breaking out and being behind the rows of seats that held the audience.

"Naruto!" I hissed as the fight began. Dammit I reaaaaally wanted to watch it! Naruto ignored me and kept running, before he spotted Kakashi, who was talking to Sakura. I growled as Naruto ran over to Kakashi.

"Kakashi sensei you have to stop the fight! That Gaara guy is a monster!" I ignored their conversation as I spotted the proctors that had blocked our path before the first exam. One of them met my gaze, and smirked.

"You sure have changed since the beginning of the exams." He reflected, and I rolled my eyes.

"Not really, I just didn't want a target to be painted on my back right off the bat. Now that we're in the finals, I don't care." I smirked, and the proctor smirked back.

"Smart choice."


	11. The Snake Strikes Again

**AN: Sorry I've been gone guys! My comp got a virus and my dad fixed it, and then it spazzed out again for no reason... sooo... yeaaaaa. Anyway, on to the story.  
><strong>

**Chapter 11:**

**The Snake Strikes Again  
><strong>

I watched Sasuke and Gaara's fight. I didn't listen to a thing Kakashi or any of them said. I barely even registered that Gai sensei and Lee had shown up. I smirked when Sasuke's hand literally started sparking with visible chakra. I knew that only because I'd heard of Kakashi sensei's own Lightning Blade Technique. Man, was he fast. I could hardly see him run. I still think I could only see him because of my heightened senses.

I watched as Sasuke's Chidori pierced Gaara's 'ultimate defense' and heard him wailing like a little baby that he was bleeding. Yeah. It's that red stuff in your veins that gives you life and it's what happens when someone cuts you. Congrats on your discovery, Sherlock. Sasuke did another short Chidori to pull his arm out of the sand sphere thing Gaara was in, only to find that an arm that was made entirely of sand but had blue vein crack things was holding on to his arm. I blinked, before feathers started swimming in my vision. I instantly recognized this to be a Genjutsu, and released it.

Naruto and Shikamaru collapsed on the ground beside me, and I quickly dropped to the ground as a sound ninja shot over me, his kunai piercing the air where I had just been. I snarled, and leaped to my feet. I slammed my fist in to his back, before grabbing the arm that held his kunai. I slammed my palm on to the back of his hand and forced him to drop said kunai. I focused chakra in to my left foot, and caught the kunai and attached it to the bottom of my foot. I leaped away from the sound ninja as he did a string of hand signs and his fist covered in fire chakra and he tried hitting me with it. I did a back flip, and landed on my hands. I flicked my foot and released the kunai, which sank deep in to his neck, killing him almost instantly.

I looked in to the stadium to find the sand ninja leave, Sasuke on their tail. The referee then engaged the sand Genin's sensei in a fight. I ran to the railing, and leaped on to it, about to leap off and chase after them, but was thrown back as a sound ninja tackled me to the ground, kunai in hand. He had come from my right, and I growled and wondered why he'd gone out of the way to attack me. Then I noticed the man in a black coat with an ANBU mask on, holding a tiger hand sign. He was a traitor! He activated the genjutsu! Either he was a traitor, or he was disguised as an ANBU.

The man stabbed me in the neck, but the clone disappeared. I snarled as I dropped from the overhead ceiling, my kunai stabbing deep in his neck. I stood up and growled in frustration as I leaped over another charging sound ninja. I landed and blinked as I came face to face with a sound ninja. Not even a foot away, and less than two inches away was his kunai, poised to stab my neck. I heard my heart thump as everything seemed to go in slow motion, before a hand grabbed the back of my shirt and threw me back. I yelped as I flew back and slammed in to the wall that separated the stands. I groaned and looked up to find Kakashi finishing the guy off.

"Thanks!" I shouted, before leaping over the railing and ran across the arena. I ducked under a kunai that was thrown at me, before springing over the wall. I channeled chakra in to my nose and began chasing after Sasuke, following his scent trail.

* * *

><p>I leaped out of the tree I was at, arriving to find Gaara lunging at Sasuke. Sasuke was lying hopelessly on a branch, and upon closer inspection I realized half of his body was covered in the curse mark. I snarled in fury that Sasuke had been so weak to let it activate, but forget that. Gaara had some weird arm thing sprouting from his left arm, and a tail.<p>

I leaped out of the trees I had been running through, before slamming my fist in to Gaara's face, sending him off course and I watched as he fell on to another branch, but steadied himself there. I growled as I made a clone, and allowed the clone to take my place watching Gaara and ran to Sasuke's side.

"Sasuke, what happened?" I asked, wondering how in the world I was supposed to help him.

"Koinu, get out of here! He'll kill you!" Sasuke shouted. I blinked and sat Sasuke up, steadying him against the tree's trunk, before turning to face Gaara.

"What is he to you?" Gaara's scratchy voice demanded of me. I let go of Sasuke and stood up, walking over and standing beside my clone.

"Who, Uchiha? He's nothing but a substitute teammate to me." I replied.

"I can see in your eyes that he means more to you." Gaara growled.

"I sympathize to him somewhat. I've had my love ones killed and slaughtered in front of my eyes, and I've been hand picked by a bastard to be his guinea pig. That's it though." I growled back.

Gaara narrowed his eyes, one looking normal and the other looking like some sort of star.

"You're eyes, they look like mine." He hissed. "Pain, hatred, and suffering; but you lack the blood thirst. Why?"

I shrugged. "Because I'm not a jerk who kills for fun."

"Is there anyone in your life important to you?" This question threw me off, and my eyes dropped to the ground. But I blinked and remembered where we were. I clenched my fists tightly before my clone leaped off of the branch and flew at Gaara. My eyes shot back up to watch. Gaara smirked, before his tail swirled around and slammed in to my clone, making her disappear in a cloud of smoke.

I watched as Gaara laughed in pure joy. "I will kill you, and killing you will prove my existence!" He laughed. I blinked in shock, before growling as he shot his hand at me, which continued growing and flying at me. I slid over the edge of the branch, and grabbed the edge with my hands. I swung over and released the branch, flying up and landing on a branch a few trees away. I turned around, and my eyes widened as his hand clenched in to a fist less than a foot away from me, before slamming in to the right side of my body.

I screamed in pain as I flew off of the branch, slamming and breaking through a few others from the impact. I finally gained my bearing before grabbing and holding on to the tree. I groaned as I moved my right arm, but grabbed the same branch with my right hand and pulled myself up. I gasped for air before focusing on the task at hand.

Ok, so I was fighting another fellow demon possessor. One that was intent on killing people. Wants to kill Sasuke. Now wants to kill me. Feels the same pain I feel or at least felt when I was younger. Uses that pain to make himself stronger.

Huh, he sounded half like me, other than wanting to kill people for fun. And wanting to kill myself and Sasuke, but other than that, yeah. We sounded a lot alike. I sighed and tried to figure out what to do. I blinked when Gaara shot his hand at Sasuke. I watched as the hand gradually grew closer to Sasuke, everything seemed to go in slow motion.

My legs moved on impulse, and I shot forward. It was weird. I was running at an almost normal pace while everything else was moving slower. I leaped in front of the hand, content on protecting Sasuke. Why? I couldn't tell you. The hand shot forward at normal pace, and I grunted as it slammed and caught a hold of my neck. Gaara's hand shrank as he moved it closer to himself, but stopped and held me suspended in air, over empty space between the branch he was on and the branch Sasuke was on.

I groaned and waited for my life to end, but Gaara only stared at me. I stared back in to his eyes, and his whole past seemed to float between us, as did mine. It was weird. I blinked in pain and sadness as I remembered my past before Motaroku joined in on it.

* * *

><p><em>"Wah! It's that freak! Run!"<em>

_"Stay away from her! She'll kill you!"_

_I stared across the playground from the swing I sat on, shadows covering me as the other kids played happily on the jungle gym, bathed carelessly in the moonlight. Their parents were sitting on nearby benches, chatting away with each other. I let my hair brush in front of my face as I wondered how it would be to play with those other kids. To look over and see my own mother and father talking to somebody's own parents._

_I looked up as a ball rolled across the ground, and stopped when it hit my foot. I blinked when I looked up and found a young boy with blonde hair staring at me in fear. His dark brown eyes were filled with tears that threatened to spill over. Where people really that afraid of me? I blinked and picked the ball up, and stood to my feet. The boy gulped and took a step back, but I held the ball out to him, a shy smile on my face._

_"Jinto! What did I tell you? Stay away from her! She'll hurt you!" A woman shrieked as she came and grabbed her son's arm roughly. I blinked and shook my head, sudden fury overwhelming me._

_"What did I ever do to you people!" I shouted as I threw the ball across the playground with surprising strength. It slammed in to a pole on the jungle gym and exploded to bits with a loud 'POP!'. The other kids all shrieked in fear and stopped moving, everyone's eyes now on me._

_"I never did anything!" I shouted as I stepped forward again without thinking, and in to the moonlight. Instant pain washed over me and soon I was replaced with that of a wolf, my piercing yellow eyes watching as the children and adults screamed and ran away in fear._

_Why was I even alive and allowed to live here, if all people were going to do was hate me and shun me out of everything?_

* * *

><p>I smiled over Gaara's freakish hand. He blinked and stared at me incredulously.<p>

"You and me, we're a lot alike." I coughed, blood spilling over the corner of my mouth. Damn it. I was still exhausted from my fight with Shino.

"No we aren't! I'm hated by my whole village! I have nothing to live for! I have a demon living inside of me!" He shouted, and I rolled my eyes.

"I am too, trust me. The only ray of sunshine I've ever had in my whole life was my mock-family, but they treated me like real family. My sensei and teammates were like my father and brothers. But that ray of sunshine was smothered quickly, and I was thrown back in to darkness. Trust me, I still live in it too, and I know you're not far away. I don't kill people for fun or to prove my existence because I know it'll only make everything worse." I groaned as Gaara's hand tightened around my throat, cutting off my ability to speak. My hands shot up and grabbed his hand, and I looked in to his eyes only to find resentment and hatred there.

I stared in to his eyes as he glared at me, waiting for him to kill me. When he didn't automatically do so, I began concentrating and focusing on everything that sucked about my life. I let my left hand drop to my side, and held my palm out facing Gaara. Suddenly dark chakra began bubbling in to my palm, before a beam shot out. It slammed in to Gaara's chest, and he screamed as he released me and flew back. I coughed and gasped for breath, before grabbing a tree branch and hanging there.

Gaara regained his footing and snarled as he glared at me, before suddenly his normal arm turned in to another freaky sand hand thing. Suddenly I heard a roar come from behind me, but a roar from a human. I blinked and turned around, only to find Naruto sailing past me at Gaara, poised to punch him. Gaara smirked and threw his right arm out, hitting and batting Naruto away as if he were a fly. Sakura landed on the branch next to Sasuke, a dog sitting beside her.

Gaara growled in annoyance. Before looking at Naruto more closely as he caught himself and stood back up.

"You're one... I didn't get to kill..." He growled. Naruto blinked and looked from Gaara, to Sakura, to Sasuke, and then to me.

"L-let's run!" He shouted suddenly, and I spluttered.

"What's you're deal! We can't just ru-" I was cut off as Gaara suddenly leaped from his spot at Sakura and Sasuke. I growled and lunged forward, but was batted away by Gaara's tail. I grunted and flew in to a branch, but before I fell Naruto caught my arm and hauled me back on to the branch. Sakura blinked and pulled out a kunai, before positioning herself in front of Sasuke, willing to die for him.

"Die, Sasuke Uchiha!" Gaara shrieked in his blood-thirsty yell.

"Sakura!" Naruto yelled from behind me. Gaara growled before lunging forward with his sand hand. It's claws spread around Sakura and slammed her back in to a tree, where the claws dug in to the tree and were held there tightly. Gaara landed on the branch, towering over Sasuke. Naruto growled as Gaara groaned and grabbed his head, before taking the opportunity to leap forward and grab Sasuke. He returned on the next branch over, setting Sasuke down as gently as he could.

I glared at Gaara, my eyes searching for a possible way to rescue Sakura. The only way that I could see, however, was by beating Gaara himself. A fight, hand to hand. I didn't have a problem with that, but apparently Naruto did.

"What's the matter! I thought you were gonna run away!" Gaara taunted us. I snarled in warning, my yellow eyes flashing dangerously.

"Sasuke..." Sakura's voice murmured faintly. "Naruto..." Gaara's head shot over to Naruto as he groaned in torn thoughts.

"Who are they to you?" He growled.

"Th-they're my friends! And if you try to touch them them again I'll slaughter you!" Naruto shouted, and in response Gaara tightened his grip on Sakura. Naruto moaned in anger.

"Well? I thought you were going to slaughter me? Come on then." Gaara calmly growled. Naruto growled, before leaping forward.

"No! You idiot!" I shouted before Gaara's tail whipped around and batted Naruto away again.

"Damnit!" He snarled, sitting up after he slammed in to a branch. I growled and clenched my fists tightly, before leaping off of the branch towards Gaara. I began focusing on my dark past. I watched as Gaara's weird arm shot forward at me, but suddenly Naruto's blonde hair flew in front of me. I yelped in surprise, before the area in front of me exploded. Naruto grunted as he shot towards Gaara faster, but managed to duck underneath his arm and slammed his fist in to his arm. I fell back, crashing past branches and things of the such before I finally caught hold of one, and pulled myself on to it. Naruto landed on a branch and leaped away from Gaara, I tensed up to lunge at Gaara again but Naruto shouted out at me.

"No! Koinu, go back! I can handle this freak! Go back and help Kakashi sensei out!" Normally, I would NEVER take orders from this twerp, but if he could take on Gaara I needed to help the rest of the village out. I nodded and turned around, before darting away, back towards the arena. First and foremost, I had to make sure the Hokage was okay.

* * *

><p>When I arrived back on scene at the arena, I leaped over the wall and landed with a tiny thud on the other side, in the actual arena. I blinked and looked on top of the main building, to see a huge transparent purple wall thing up. I blinked and leaped on top of the wall, before running around the top and arrived at the edge of the roof. I made sure to be quiet, so I hopefully wasn't detected. I blinked when I saw who was in the wall. Standing there, facing each other. Was the Hokage and Orochimaru.<p>

I stopped in my tracks, and my whole body seemed to be frozen in place. I felt a ripple go up my spine, and the worst part was that the Hokage's back was to me, so Orochimaru could see me if he looked. I blinked, before snarling at myself. Why was I afraid? This was the man I swore I would kill! Anger suddenly swelled over me, and I screamed as I ran at the weird wall, taking a kunai out in the blink of an eye.

"Why in the name of hell are you here!" I screamed as I ran. The Hokage blinked and turned around, before his eyes widened in surprise when he saw me.

"No!" Suddenly an ANBU in a black coat slammed in to me, knocking me on to the roof. I yelped as I began rolling off the roof, before grabbing the edge as I finally did roll off. I growled as I pulled myself up, before glaring at the man, who was wearing a traditional ANBU mask. "If you touch that barrier, you'll catch on fire." I blinked in understanding before running around the edge of the roof and looked in to the arena. Inside stood Kakashi and Gai facing Gaara's mentor and an ANBU, who I recognized to be the traitor who'd activated the Genjutsu from earlier.

I narrowed my eyes as I crouched down at the edge of the roof, and took a deep breath. I then leaped off of said roof, kunai still in hand, and was poised to strike down on the ANBU member. I fell through the air seemingly unnoticed by any of the Jonin or Chunin or whatever rank these guys were, but I knew better than to assume. Right before I would stab the man, he took a step back, and I landed on the ground where he'd been with a grunt. I turned and lunged forward with my kunai, but he ducked out of the way, before slamming his foot in to my stomach.

I coughed as my hand released my kunai, and my feet flew up off the ground, before flying back. I grunted as Gai caught me, before setting me down. I coughed again, this time blood trickling from the corner of my mouth. I stood up and glared at the men, though now I was feeling like I was more of a burden than help. But I didn't care. I'd be of some help soon enough. And then I heard Orochimaru scream out something. I spun around to look in to the purple transparent wall thing, and saw a sword sink in to the Hokage.

"Hokage!" I shouted, and without thinking meant to leap to his aid, even though I couldn't. However, the black cloaked man just leaped in front of me, and slammed his fist in to my chest, sending me flying back. I grunted as I slammed in to the ground, rolling across the battle-torn field. I stopped as I dug my feet in to the ground, and looked up to see the same man right in front of me, before slamming his foot in to my head. I yelped as I flew back, slamming in to one of the boulders on the field. I groaned and slid down until my feet touched ground. I took a deep breath before sliding my feet out further and fell to the ground, opening my eyes at the same time. The man's foot slammed in to the boulder right where I'd been before.

"I'm you're enemy now. Not Orochimaru." I blinked at the voice. I knew that voice.

"Kabuto?" I whispered, and the man snickered. He stood up, pulling his leg out of the boulder and removed his mask.

"Pleased to see that you remember my name, Koinu." Kabuto smirked, throwing his mask to the side.

"You... you... you damn TRAITOR!" I shouted, suddenly thrown in to another bout of anger. I lunged forward, my shoulder managing to slam in to his stomach. Kabuto growled, before grabbing the back of my shirt and using my momentum to throw me passed him. I soared through the air, upside down, between the standoff that Kakashi and Gai were having with the sand Genin's sensei, though they all seemed to be watching the fight between me and Kabuto. I did a quick and small stream of hand signs before holding my hands, palms facing Kabuto, out and opening my mouth.

"Fire Style: Fire Stream Jutsu!" I shouted, before fire streamed out from both of my palms and mouth. Kabuto leaped over the fire streams, but I quickly faced one of my hands towards the ground, shooting me higher in to the air. I clenched my mouth and palms closed, dispelling the jutsu. I did a flip so that I was right side up, before holding my right arm out in front of me, focusing again on the pain in my past.

I aimed at Kabuto, and a stream of my dark chakra shot from my hand. Kabuto blinked but ducked underneath, but I held my other hand out and quickly chakra streamed out too, slamming in to Kabuto. I landed on the ground a ways from Kakashi, clenching my hands tightly so that it cut off my chakra stream. I darted forward to follow up on my fight with Kabuto, but Kakashi's arm shot out in front of me.

"Stop." I blinked and looked up at the roof as he pointed up, and blinked in shock. The Hokage slowly collapsed to the ground. I stood there, rooted to the spot. The... the Hokage was dead... he was dead. Because of Orochimaru.

"Baki, let's go!" Kabuto growled as he recovered from my attack.

I blinked and my head snapped over to look at Kabuto, who was preparing to disappear. I snarled as my teeth and fingernails grew sharper, before darting over to him with higher speed. My hand smacked to his neck, and Kabuto blinked in momentary shock.

"No. I'm you're opponent now." I snarled, but Kabuto retaliated and slammed his fist in to my stomach.

I groaned and doubled over, but lunged forward, trying to headbutt him in the gut. He did a back flip, his right foot smacking in to my headband as he did so. My head jerked back, and Kabuto followed up by grabbing my hair and yanking my head forward. I growled as my left hand shot up and grabbed his hand, which grasped my hair. My left eye jerked shut in pain, and I was caught glaring at Kabuto, who was sniggering back at me.

My right leg flew up and I tried kicking his chest, but he released my hair and leaped back, landing beside Gaara's sensei. I growled when they both formed tiger hand signs, and I shot forward. To little to late, they both disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Dammit!" I shouted, sliding to a halt and standing there in pure anger. I turned around to look back up at the roof, and saw ANBU members swarming the Hokage's body. Where had Orochimaru gone? He must've gotten away. I blinked and looked up as Kakashi and Gai leaped on to the roof, which had trees and roots bursting from it. I vaguely wondered how I'd been able to see the Hokage earlier, but ignored it.

I looked back down at the ground, wondering what was gonna happen now. The Hokage was dead. They'd have to find a new one. Exactly who, well... that was the mystery. But it wasn't like I was up for the position or anything, so I didn't really care.

_Pit._

I blinked and looked up in to the sky as a drop of water splashed on to my arm. The sky was dark and gray, clouds covering the whole sky. Thunder roared, and gradually more water began falling from the sky. Eventually it had soaked my whole body through, and I hadn't even realized that the Jonin and ANBU members who had surrounded the Hokage's body had transported him. At least, I hadn't realized it until Kakashi came back and saw me.

"Koinu, c'mon. It's late, and I know you're exhausted." He sighed. I turned around, my hands now shoved in my pockets.

"Why do you care? I'm just a burden to your team, remember?" I growled, being answered by Kakashi with a sigh.

"Really? I didn't think you literally meant you could be more annoying when you said that you could before the Chunin Exams."

"Well, I did say I was just getting started."

Kakashi's eyes locked on to mine, and we stared at each other for what seemed like hours, but was only minutes. He finally shook his head, droplets of water spraying off of his hair.

"The Hokage's funeral is in two days. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are all in the hospital. Though I'm sure Sasuke and Sakura will be fine, only scrapes and bruises. Same with Naruto, though he was physically worn out, more so than either of them. You, on the other hand, do need to be checked out by the doctors or nurses or whatever. It's a requirement for anybody who fought in this battle." I growled and shook my head, rolling my eyes and turning around.

"Nah, I'm going home." But as I took a step forward, Kakashi was instantly behind me with his hand on my shoulder. He bent over so that he could whisper in to my ear.

"You don't have to keep acting like you're alone in this world, y'know." Kakashi whispered. "I'm making it a priority after this Hokage stuff is sorted out to make you a permanent member of Team 7." I blinked and went to turn around, but Kakashi had disappeared. I sighed, and watched the cloud of vapor that emitted from my breath.

"I'll never be apart of another normal team." I replied to nobody in particular, before heading back to my house. There I cleaned myself up in my bathroom, puling my headband off to find a long cut across my forehead. I watched the blood out of my headband's cloth, and wrapped bandages around my head but underneath my hair so that it at least looked somewhat normal. Then, I went to bed and collapsed in exhaustion.


	12. Funerals and Criminals

**Chapter 12:**

**Funerals and Criminals  
><strong>

That one day of nothing passed by quicker than I thought it would. I didn't go to the hospital to check up on my teammates, but I ran in to Kiba, who told me that all three of them had been released. I honestly didn't care, but whatever. Mainly I wandered around and took in all the damage Orochimaru and his thugs performed. Buildings and statues were crushed, some tall towers were knocked down three levels or more. It looked like a tragedy town. Though, oddly, it looked like how I'd picture how I felt. Ruins, but one soul wandering them, trying to continue on in life.

Anyways, that's how the day passed by. Me wandering around. Not even thinking about anything in particular. The next day, I woke up in my room and got changed in to the mourning clothes all ninja were required to have. I stared in the mirror in my bathroom at myself. A black shirt with a collar that flared in front and was almost like a v-neck, though it didn't dip quiet as much, and was in a block shape. I, unlike most other girls in the village, wore black pants with my shirt, and a thin white belt. I wore a pair of black ninja sandals instead of my dark blue ones, and sighed in the mirror.

Today would be the first day I'd have to actually mourn my team's deaths. With the Chunin Exams and training for the 3rd round I hadn't really had time to. I peeked out in to my room and looked at the time. Two hours until the funeral service thing for the Hokage would start. Just enough time. I left my house and quickly made my way through to the spot in Konoha where they put all the memorials of their fallen ninja.

By the time I arrived, the sky was pitch black from clouds. I walked through the memorials and stopped at one that showed the names of the Jonin that had been killed. I scanned the names until, towards the bottom, I found Gakuro sensei's name. I sighed and glanced at the newer memorial stone they'd built for all the Jonin that had died in Orochimaru's invasion. The sky rumbled with thunder, and I sighed.

* * *

><p><em>"Gakuro sensei! Put me down!" I laughed, hanging upside down by my ankles as Gakuro flipped me over. He chuckled as he looked down at me, before shrugging.<em>

_"If that's what you want." He laughed, before tossing me back. I wailed in surprise before crashing down below the surface of the river._

_I swam to the surface, and when my head broke through I was answered by having Gakuro sensei, Motaroku, and Rashin all dying of laughter. I couldn't help but bust out laughing myself. _

* * *

><p>I moved down the rows of memorials, to the one that listed the Genin who'd died. I scanned the names and found Motaroku and Rashin's right next to each other. I smiled vaguely at the memory of our first day together.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Team 4 will consist of Rashin Jundaro, Motaroku Inro, and Koinu Hatarashi." My face broke in to a huge grin. Motaroku would be on my team, thank god! I'd been afraid I'd be stuck with people I hated!<em>

_A few hours later we all arrived at the top of the Academy, Gakuro sensei standing in front of us. _

_"All right, well, let's start off with introducing ourselves. I'm Gakuro Mokushi."_

_"I'm Motaroku Inro! I love messing around and goofing off with my friends, but I also love to train, because somebody I'm gonna be Hokage!"_

_"I'm Rashin Jundaro, I like reading and studying about the different patterns of chakra, because it's fascinating to me. I hate Taijutsu and I'm more of a Ninjutsu person." _

_"I'm Koinu Hatarashi. I like training and making myself as strong as I can, because one day I WILL be Hokage, and then everyone will have to acknowledge me. I hate most people, because they look at me like I'm some sort of freak." _

_"Well, Koinu. Here, you won't have to worry about that. We're all family, and we always will be."_

* * *

><p>I blinked away the tears that had started to fill my eyes, so that I wouldn't start crying. I couldn't break down now. I had to be strong.<p>

"You can cry, Koinu. It is rather sad." Kakashi's voice suddenly cooed from behind me. I jumped and turned around, spotting him. I then glared at him.

"Why would I cry? They all died honorably against the same scumbag that killed the Hokage. They all died protecting me." I growled.

Kakashi just stared at me, before going to the memorial before the current one I was at, but it was still a Genin memorial. He looked down, staring at one spot in particular. I blinked and followed his eyes, but couldn't make out which names he was staring at.

"My teammates are all dead too." He muttered, and I shrugged.

"Why should I care?"

"Because the same thing happened to you. You're teammates are all dead."

"I don't care!" I shouted, clenching my fists tightly. "You're all the same! Meddling in to my business when it's none of your business! Just stay out of it, okay! Or is that to much to ask?"

Kakashi was silent, as he continued to look at the memorial, but his eyes were distant. I knew he must be remembering something of his old team. I looked away from him and stared at the memorial, before suddenly being overcome with a bout of rage. Why? Why had they all died for me? I wasn't anything special! I was a monster! All that ever happened to the people I cared about was that they either died or got hurt. I clenched my fists tighter, and hardened my heart. I would always miss them, but no longer would I mourn over them.

I turned and stalked away, shoving my fists in to my pockets. I could feel Kakashi's eyes trained on me, but I ignored them. I made my way through the village, since I did have to be present for the Hokage's funeral. I leaped on to the roof of the building behind the Hokage's memorial table thing. The sky roared again, but this time water gradually spilled out of the sky, until it rained harder down.

I watched as people gradually filtered to the table, each dropping a rose on it. Out of the crowd I spotted the usual faces. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi. I even spotted Shino, Neji, Hinata, and some of the more non-usual faces. But none of those faces were the ones I wanted to see. I shook my head fiercely. I couldn't think like that anymore! Not about my old team!

When everyone finally was done with the roses or whatever,everybody went home for the day. I sat there for a while longer, wondering exactly what I would do here now. Finally I sighed when the clouds dispersed and the moon rose over the horizon. I waited a few more minutes, feeling the gnawing and clawing of Garou, who still tried to get out.

"Chill out." I snarled as I leaped off of the building and headed home.

* * *

><p>The next day, I woke up to an annoying pecking on my window. I groaned and fidgeted, before hearing the pecking again. This time, I jerked up and glared out my window, finding a hawk with a canister tied to its leg outside my window. I groaned and threw my window open, before opening the canister and pulling out the paper inside. The hawk flew away, and I closed my window. I unrolled the paper and glared at the writing.<p>

_Meet me outside the Dodongo Shop at 8:30 sharp._

_~Kakashi_

I growled in annoyance before glaring at my alarm clock. It was 8. Damn, I had to get dressed. I sighed and moodily got dressed, before making my way over there. When I arrived, I spotted Sasuke and Kakashi already there.

"Woah, Kakashi's here before I get here. Surprise surprise." Then I noticed that Asuma and Kurenai were here. I blinked and narrowed my eyes. "What's going on?" Before anybody could answer me, Asuma and Kurenai left. I growled and then looked at Kakashi. "So, what? Are we waiting on our two fellow idiots?"

"No, actually I was planning on training the two of you, but sadly... something's come up. So I'm going to show you the basics of what I want you to practice, but then I have to go." Kakashi said, rubbing the back of his head. I rolled my eyes and followed him to our training spot. It was in part of the forest, but on the back side of the Hokage faces' mountain.

"Sasuke, just work on your Chidori." Sasuke nodded and went off closer to the mountain and then Kakashi turned to me.

"As for you, I wanna work on your dark chakra." I blinked.

"You can't even do it though, it's a Kekkei Genkai. MY Kekkei Genkai. The Sharingan can't even copy it." I retorted.

"No, but I did see it when you fought Kabuto. Anyway, I want you to manipulate it and control it more." Kakashi said, I nodded, and almost instantly Kakashi left.

"Well damn, he didn't hesitate long, huh?" I chuckled, and Sasuke smirked in reply, before blinking and looking at me questioningly.

"When he meant dark chakra?" He asked. I smirked and nodded.

"Watch with your sharingan if you don't think it's true." I said. Sasuke activated his sharingan and stared at me as I aimed my hand at a tree in front of me, and concentrated. Soon a beam of darkness shot from my palm and in to the tree. I cut off the darkness and blinked at the tree. There was a hole burned straight through it. I smirked and looked at Sasuke.

"Whoa." He muttered, his sharingan disappearing. I shrugged.

"Yeah, it's cool. But, nowhere near as cool as the sharingan." I laughed, and Sasuke chuckled once, before turning around and practicing.

I turned to face another tree and concentrated. When the dark chakra rose in to my hand, I made sure to control it so that it didn't shoot out. I groaned from the amount of concentration it took, but managed to make it stay as a wavy little ball thing in my hand. I yelped as it suddenly shot forward, and fell back, but caught myself on my free hand, clenching my other hand to cut off the chakra flow.

I turned to Sasuke when I heard a loud boom coming from that way, and found a huge crater in the rock wall, and realized Sasuke had only used a Chidori. No worries did that for about half an hour or maybe an hour longer, until we eventually went back in to town because Sasuke had exhausted his ability to use Chidori. We walked around town in boredom, not really hanging out but on the same hand we both figured it would be better than being alone.

We were sitting at Ichiraku, eating, when someone came in and muttered something to the owner about Kakashi being stuck in his bed. We quickly gulped down our ramen and then quickly made our way to Kakashi's house. When we arrived, Sasuke knocked on the door before both of us walked in. Inside, Kakashi laid in his bed, conscious but unmoving, and Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai all sat or stood around his room, obviously talking about something.

"Kakashi... Why's Kakashi bedridden? And why are all you Jonin here?" Sasuke asked.

"What's going on!" I growled.

"Oh, nothing really." Gai laughed, and then the door slid open and a man with black spiky hair wearing glasses walked in.

"Is it true that Itachi showed up in town! And that he's after Naruto?" The man drifted off as he spotted Sasuke. "Oh."

"Idiot!" Gai shouted. I blinked and looked at Sasuke, and saw the weirdest expression on his face. It was mixed with surprise, anger, and excitement. Than, he darted away.

"No! Sasuke!" I shouted, running after him. I was on his tail for a few minutes, but he quickly lost me. I cursed under my breath, before wandering around town a little, and then ran to the entrance to the village. He'd either gone through there or have to go through there. I stopped at the entrance and channeled chakra in to my nose. Instantly I smelled Sasuke's scent, and knew he'd passed through. I growled before darting after him.

I eventually caught up to him in the next town over, when he ran out of a hotel. "Sasuke!" I shouted, but he ignored me, and ran to the next hotel over, which was the only other hotel in town. I made my legs move faster, catching up to him in the hallway. We were almost silent, and I almost gasped in shock, but forced myself to be quiet. Naruto was standing in the middle of the hallway, two mean in black cloaks with red clouds on them blocking our way to him. Sasuke silently crossed to the middle of the hall on our end, and I stood up and walked out from behind the corner, but not in the middle of the hallway.

"Long time no see... Sasuke." The black haired shorter man called out in a cool and calm voice.

"Itachi Uchiha." Sasuke growled, and I blinked. Sasuke's sharingan was activated. I knew Sasuke hated his brother because he killed his whole clan, but to go this far just to fight him? I didn't see the reasoning, but it might be the same for him as it is for me and Orochimaru. Itachi's teammates turned slightly around to look at Sasuke. He had light blue skin and dark blue, spiky hair. He had weird fish gills underneath his eyes, and carried a large sword wrapped in bandages. He wore a scratched Mist village headband.

"Well, sharingan. And he looks an awful lot like you. Who is that kid, Itachi?" Fish guy hissed.

"He's... my brother." Itachi answered, still facing away from Sasuke.

"That's funny, 'cuz the way I heard it the whole Uchiha Clan was wiped out... by you."

Itachi finally turned around, and I blinked when I saw his whole face. He was rather handsome. His eyes were the same as Sasuke's, but his were colder. Suddenly Sasuke's hand lit with his electric chakra.

"Just as you told me, I've resented and hated you and lived solely... To kill you!" Sasuke shouted, running down the hallway, his hand running down the side of the hallway. As he ran he roared in anger, pain, hatred, all of the emotions he's felt over the years. When he reached Itachi, I didn't even see as Itachi's hand clamped on his wrist, and shot it to the side, so that it blew a huge hole on the wall. Itachi clenched down on Sasuke's wrist, breaking it. Sasuke screamed in agony, and my eyes widened in shock.

I blinked, before shaking my head, and glared at Itachi, who was staring now at Naruto. I growled, and looked at Sasuke, who was kneeling on the floor. I growled in fury. I had to do something, but I knew these guys were too strong for me. Well, too strong for me. Maybe not Garou. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, focusing on the feeling of how moonlight had felt when it washed over me. I felt the cooling sensation on my skin, yet the gnawing and clawing that happened from within me. I felt power start to surge through my veins, but I contained it. I wasn't going to become a total wolf.

I felt my nails and teeth sharpen, as well as feeling the dark chakra surge around me. I opened my eyes and involuntarily snarled. Itachi turned slowly around to face me, his eyes emotionless as he watched me. I bent down on all fours, before running inhumanly at him. I leaped at his stomach height, not bothering to try and use any kunai knives or anything, just my nails.

As my hands came within reach of brushing his cloak, he threw his leg up and slammed it between my arms and in to my chest. I flew back, flying through the air on my back, and slammed in to the wall head-first. I groaned as I hit the ground, and slowly pushed myself to all fours again. I shook my head vigorously, before glaring over my shoulder at Itachi. Suddenly, he was standing right in front of me. He grabbed the cuff of my shirt and pulled me up against the wall, I snarled and dug my nails in to his arm, but he didn't even flinch. I didn't look at his eyes for no particular reason, but I flailed my feet around, my nails digging deeper in to his arm the whole time. I snarled in frustration and lunged forward with my head, my top canines sinking in to his arm too. Finally Itachi hissed in pain and released me. I landed on the ground snarling, and lunged forward, but Itachi's foot slammed in to my head. I groaned and slumped on the floor as black dots danced in my vision, and managed to glare at Itachi once more before the darkness washed over me.

* * *

><p>"Koinu? Koinu! Get up!" I heard that now familiar nails-on chalkboard voice shouted from over my head. I groaned and opened my eyes, which felt like ten ton weights. I blinked a few times, before seeing Naruto towering over me.<p>

"WA!" I shouted, lunging up and slamming my fist in to his chest. Naruto grunted, stumbling back but managed to catch his footing.

"What was that for?" He shouted, his blue eyes blazing with anger.

"Don't do that!" I snarled in reply, sitting up and rubbing my head. I looked around, and found that we were in some sort of hotel room. I then noticed the giant hole in the wall, and leaped to my feet.

"Where did those guys go?" I shouted, pointing at the hole. Naruto sighed.

"They got away. Gai showed up and took Sasuke back to Konoha, Pervy Sage said to bring you in here until you woke up." Naruto muttered, looking at the ground.

I clenched my fists tightly, before narrowing my eyes. "Pervy Sage?" I asked, and in answer a man with large white hair and wearing an outfit with a large scroll on his back walked in through the door frame.

"Ah, Naruto boy we gotta check out soon- oh! You're finally awake!" He exclaimed at seeing me, and raised an eyebrow in shock. "Wow, you're eyes... are really quite beautiful." He said like a little boy in a candy shop, getting all up in my face. I blinked a few times in confusion, before realizing what he meant. I slammed my fist in to his face, and he stumbled back a few feet.

"Never. EVER. Use a single sexual innuendo with me." I growled, my eyes flashing dangerously. I slid off the side of the bed, shoved my hands in to my pockets, and crossed the room to the door.

"Wait, where are you going?" Pervy Sage asked.

"To Konoha, where else?" I answered, notlooking back but stopping.

"No you're not, your coming with us, to find Tsunade. One of the other two senin." Pervy Sage informed me.

"Wait, one of the other two? That would mean you were Jiraiya?" I asked, knowing that Orochimaru was one of the other ones. I blinked and sighed dramatically. "So I'm stuck with you two while we chase after some old lady? Oh joy oh joy." I sighed, but smirked. "Long as you teach me some cool jutsu I'm good with that."

"I was going to teach Naruto a jutsu, but I guess I could teach you too." Jiraiya nodded. I nodded too, before rubbing my head again.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Naruto shouted and then laughed, grabbing his bag and practically hopping up and down in joy.

I groaned mentally wondering what I had just gotten myself in to. A trip with these idiots? The hyperactive ninja of Konoha and a Pervy Sage who's apparently some great ninja.

Dear God, please help me.


	13. Festivals and Stages

**Chapter 13:**

**Festivals and Stages  
><strong>

We walked on the road for what seemed like forever. I didn't really feel any tire from walking, but I was definitely bored. Naruto, however, seemed to be experiencing both.

"Pervy Sage! When are you going to train us?" Naruto groaned loudly.

"Just hold on, we're almost there." I sighed quietly in relief, and soon we reached the outskirts of a large town. We walked in to town, and people were crowding the streets and kids were running around.

"Wow! I've never seen a place like this!" Naruto laughed, looking around everywhere.

"Well, play is just as important as work! Rest first, and then we'll start training later." Me and Naruto smirked as Naruto pulled a large wallet out of his bag, and I pulled mine out of my pocket. I flipped through. Awesome, I had PLENTY of money. I quickly slid it back in to my pocket, just as Jiraiya took Naruto's. "Here, this is all you get for the day!"

"What! Just 300 Ryo?" Naruto whined.

"What's with the 'what'? Don't you know about the three shinobi prohibitions?" Jiraiya asked. He then began going off about some fake rules or something. I growled and slammed my fist in to Jiraiya's stomach, before catching Naruto's wallet and handing it to him.

"You're such a jerk. Taking advantage of an idiot like that." I growled, before turning on my heel and pulling Naruto's sleeve to get him to come with me. After we lost Jiraiya, we smirked at each other and you could practically hear the Japanese good-time kinda music.

We stopped at tons of different stands. Naruto tried his hand at a fish grabbing game (which he was horrible at), we grabbed some sweets, stopped at a ball throwing stand (which we both had perfect scores in, considering kunai are harder to aim with than a ball, and we both got a stuffed animal. Naruto grabbed a toad, while I grabbed one of a wolf.), and then we stopped at a stand that sold ANBU masks. Naruto snagged one with red triangles at the top and bottom, with red swirl lines on the side. I grabbed a mask that was plain white with thicker swirls on the sides. We bought the masks and I wore mine on top of my head, while Naruto actually wore it over his face.

Naruto took a step forward and tripped, but I grabbed his backpack just in time to save him from falling flat on his face. He laughed nervously, pulling the ANBU mask up on top of his head. We then stopped at a fried squid place.

"Hey, mister! Can I get two of these skewered squids? Make one a big-adult sized one!"

"Make that two adult-sized ones!" I added in, smiling calmly.

"Sure thing! Running errands, huh guys? Here, you can have the kid-sized one on the house!"

"Wow, mister! You're the man!" Naruto shouted.

"Ha! You got that right! Ok, you can have both of the adult-sized ones half-off too!"

"Woah! Thanks, mister!" I said, paying for my squid as Naruto did the same.

We left the squid shop, and began looking for Jiraiya. Looking back on it now, I can't believe I was actually having _fun_ with Naruto. It was weird. Anyway, I took a big bite of my squid just as we heard loud laughing come from Jiraiya's mouth, from the inside of some building. We walked in, passed some curtains, and Naruto instantly yelled something about those shinobi principals or whatever. Jiraiya was sitting in a couch, two young girls sitting on either side of him, and a bunch of drinks laid out on the table in front of them. Naruto's left arm shot up as he started yelling something, and the squid flew out of said hand.

"Yo! Lookie watcha done, brat!" Some man from behind us shouted. We both turned, to see a bald guy in a white coat and a man with black hair in a white coat. Both coats looked about as cheap as our ANBU masks. "You've messed up my bro's top-shelf coat! Do you know how much these cost? Pay up! 100,000 Ryo!"

"What! We aren't paying that for some cheap coat!" I growled.

"100,00 Ryo for such an ugly coat is a bit much don't ya think?" Jiraiya asked from his position on the couch.

"What, you wanna fight, huh? That ain't a wise decision I tell ya! Bro's a former Iwagakure Chunin, and a super-ninja who was feared as the Legendary Ninja of the Dark!"

"Legendary?" Jiraiya muttered.

"Must not have been too legendary if I haven't heard of him." I snarled.

"It seems you're itching to get hurt!" The other man shouted, lunging forward.

"Naruto, Koinu." Jiraiya said, standing up and shoving us both out of his way. "Great timing, I can show you the jutsu I'm going to teach you so watch closely."

I blinked as chakra literally swirled around Jiraiya's outstretched hand, until it formed an actual swirling sphere of chakra. He slammed it in to the running man's chest, sending him flying back through the curtains. He smashed in to a man's balloon and water balloon stand, sending them flying everywhere. I stood there for a few moments in aw as Jiraiya bought all of the man's balloons and water balloons, until he told us to follow him.

We walked outside of the town, so a barren spot with trees surrounding it's edges. Jiraiya smirked at us, before tossing a water balloon at each of us. I caught mine with ease, though slightly surprised. I stared at it for a moment, before looking up, though Naruto glared at his.

"What's this for?" He growled.

"You two were watching just now weren't you? What did the jutsu look like to you?"

"Well, it looked like that guy was spun around a lot." Naruto muttered.

"The sphere was swirling around." I answered afterwords. Jiraiya nodded.

"Right, rotation is probably the best word." He said, taking a water balloon in his right hand. The balloon started getting all bumpy though, until it eventually popped. I blinked and smirked, and Naruto gasped in aw.

"With the tree climbing technique you learned to focus and maintain a set amount of chakra emission from specific parts of your body. With the walk on water technique you learned to continuously emit a tiny amount of chakra. You both already have those two under your belt. So now with this water balloon exercise, you'll learn to create a stream of chakra, in other words rotation." Jiraiya explained.

"A stream of chakra..." Naruto mumbled.

"Well, I'll explain the jutsu more fully after you've accomplished this first step. First, you'll use the gist of the tree climbing technique to focus and maintain chakra emission from your palm. And then you'll use the gist of the walk on water technique to continuously emit chakra out of your palm. The point of this exercise is to use that chakra to agitate and spin the water inside the balloon." Jiraiya further explained.

"Got it! So I need to rotate the water fast enough so that the balloon pops, right?" Naruto shouted in excitement.

"You're perception's getting sharper and sharper. All right, let's go at it until dark!" Jiraiya laughed.

"Yes, sir!" Naruto and I shouted at the same time.

I took a deep breath, and then thought for a minute, while Naruto dove right in. He focused his chakra and shouted something so when I looked up his water balloon was already swirling just a bit. But, it'd be easy for me, right? I mean, I've dealt with hand and stream jutsu before, so it should be easy right? I looked at Jiraiya to find him staring at me, but not perv staring. I blinked.

"What?" I asked.

"Just watching." He answered calmly, crossing his arms over his chest. I rolled my eyes and took another deep breath, before diving in.

I focused my chakra in to my right hand, where I held the balloon, and then sent it in to the balloon. I gritted my teeth and began swirling it around. Holy crap it took a lot of concentration to do that! I squinted my eyes as I threw even more chakra in to the balloon, and it began swirling even more. I watched and concentrated as it swirled, and actually stretched out a bit further than Naruto's did, finally I groaned as my chakra cut off.

"Well, I'm gonna go take a nap." Jiraiya yawned, laying down against a tree.

So Naruto and I went at it for a while. Naruto's stretched a bit more than when it was normally left alone, but I managed to make mine stretch a bit further than his. Finally, about five hours later, Naruto was fed up with it.

"WHY WON'T YOU BURST ALREADY!" He shouted at the balloon. I roared momentarily in frustration. Naruto's yelling had made me lose my concentration. Damn him.

Jiraiya jerked awake, and upon seeing us breathing heavily he snickered. "Man, that wasn't just a nap. That was a good snooze." I rolled my eyes and stared at the balloon. Naruto asked for help or whatever, and I decided to take a little break while Jiraiya explained something about clockwise and counter-clockwise types to him. I didn't really pay attention until Jiraiya exclaimed something.

"This jutsu is one of the legacies of the Fourth Hokage! It took him a full three _years _to perfect this jutsu. Level five out of six, second from the top! An A rank super-advanced ninjutsu. In order to master this jutsu you need to work through three stages of exercises. This water balloon one is the first." He glanced over at me to find me listening to, and smirked. "Do you need help too, Koinu?"

I blinked and snorted in annoyance. "No way! I don't need any help!" I growled. Jiraiya shrugged.

"Well, I'm going back to our room, how about you guys?" He asked.

Naruto and I looked at each other, and mutual understanding passed between us. We wouldn't leave these spots for a while, at least until we got passed this stage.

"Nah, we're gonna stay a bit longer." Naruto answered for us. Jiraiya smirked, before leaving. Then we went back at it for a while. The moon eventually rose up, and made everything even more difficult for me. I had to worry about not releasing Garou and managing this stream of chakra. A few times I dropped the balloon and doubled over on the ground, having to fight desperately to keep Garou locked up inside me, and then went back at it.

I eventually collapsed by a tree, thankfully in the shadows, and was overcome by darkness.

We trained like that for two more days, both of us managing to stretch our balloons to great lengths, but never popping it. Our hands were starting to twitch and shake involuntarily from exhausting our chakra. Jiraiya hadn't stopped by once to check on us. Three days we've been at it like this. So much chakra has been wasted. Finally, towards late that day Naruto roared in annoyance.

"I'm going to the hotel." He growled, picking his bag up and shouldering it. "You coming?" He asked.

"No." I replied, breathing heavily still. Naruto shrugged, and left. Leaving me to my own devices.

I sighed and sat down, thinking things through. I imagined water my water balloon looked like now when I worked at it. Stretched and smooth, the water circulation clockwise and stretching it to lengths that it should pop at, but wouldn't. And then I thought of Jiraiya's. The water rotating, the balloon normal but getting all lumpy- I gasped in realization. It was all lumpy! But, to do that the water would have to be going in all different directions...

I almost face palmed myself. I stood back up and focused and concentrated, before channeling chakra in to the balloon. I made it go one way for a few seconds, not letting it stretch much, then threw more chakra in but going an opposite direction. I did this once more before having to drop the balloon and give up, because it used to much of my chakra. My fingers twitched and I sighed in annoyance, before picking the balloon up.

I did this a few more times, each time ending in failure, before deciding on something. I would pop this balloon tonight, if it killed me. I glared determinedly at the balloon, before channeling chakra in to it. One stream. Another stream going the opposite direction. One more stream going a different direction. I gritted my teeth and held on, no matter how much it hurt or how much concentration it took. The balloon got all lumpy and I threw one more stream in to the balloon, before it popped. I whooped happily and laughed. I took a step forward, meaning to go back to the hotel, but my legs buckled from underneath me and I hit the ground the same time I passed out.

Oh well, I'd have to tell Jiraiya in the morning I guess.

* * *

><p>The sun pierced my eyelids, but I stubbornly forced my eyes to stay closed. I didn't want to wake up. The tips of my fingers were still numb and twitching unwillingly from chakra exhaustion. I wanted to stay sleeping until they were no longer twitching. Suddenly, something rubber yet hard slammed in to my stomach. I grunted and sat up, my eyes flying open as I clutched at my stomach.<p>

I groaned for a moment, before getting up and glaring around, until I spotted Jiraiya, who was looking at me with a raised eyebrow. Naruto was yawning, but clutched a white rubber ball in his hand. I looked down and picked the rubber ball Jiraiya had thrown at me, and stared at him questioningly.

"Naruto passed the first stage this morning, and from the rubber remains on the ground I take it you did too?" I nodded and smirked at Naruto, who smirked back, and then looked back at Jiraiya. "This time, you're going to try bursting one of these. It's a hundred times stiffer than a water balloon." He smirked, before his rubber ball exploded. I groaned. Again? REALLY?

Naruto sighed and then held his ball in his left hand, before pressing his right hand swiftly on different sides all over the balloon, until he smacked it down on top of the rubber ball. It got all lumpy for a few seconds, but then shifted back to normal. I instantly wondered how we were supposed to pop this one.

"The first state is about rotation, the second about power. Because there's no water inside, it's harder to visualize your chakra and thus swirl it around. Good luck." Jiraiya informed us, before turning to leave.

"Wait! Can't we all train together today?" Naruto asked. Jiraiya looked at me, and I only shrugged. I didn't care if he stayed or not.

"Don't be such a baby. I think you've misunderstood something. I did promise to teach you jutsu, but I never said I would hold your hand and walk you through it. If you can't master it on your own, that's it. Stop being so juvenile, and start acting like a proper shinobi!" Jiraiya scolded him. Naruto then asked for a hint, but Jiraiya wanted money, and Naruto shouted about how he was a dirty grown up.

So... power huh? That was the key to this state?

I took a deep breath, and channeled chakra through my palm in to the rubber ball. It was stiffer, I could tell that right away, but I continued swirling it around, adding more and more streams for a few seconds until I couldn't add anymore. I gritted my teeth in pain, clenching my right hand tightly, and forced more chakra through in to those streams. I watched as the ball got lumpy, lumpier than Naruto's anyway, but eventually the chakra slid away and it was normal again.

I groaned and let the ball slid out of my hand, I didn't have enough chakra to do this. It took too much in the first place, and upon maintaining it, oh it was too much! Jiraiya left, leaving us to our own devices. Me and Naruto tried everything in our power to get this for two weeks straight, collapsing when we had to. Eventually, I got sick and tired of Naruto's groaning and moaning, so I went further off in to the woods, taking about ten other rubber balls in case I needed them.

The forest I was now in was quiet, calm, and peaceful. I didn't have to listen to Naruto's yelling anymore. I sighed and sat down, thinking. How could I make it more powerful than what I was already doing? It was practically unbearable trying to do it, plus it hurt every time I tried channeling chakra. I thought and thought for what seemed like hours, partly because I didn't want to work on it anymore at the moment.

I have no clue why, but Kakashi's words echoed in my head. _I want you to manipulate it and control it more. _He had meant my dark chakra, but when he said control it more I'd instantly thought of controlling it in to a sphere, much like the one that Jiraiya showed us, though not swirling around. I suddenly got an idea. My dark chakra, I'd noticed, had been more powerful than my normal chakra ever was. Maybe it was because I had an actual demon inside me. I narrowed my eyes. Maybe that's what I needed.

I smirked and went back to work. However this time I concentrated and used my dark chakra, but also charged it up a bit before exerting it all out in a few short moments. And it worked! I popped it, but only a small hole. I groaned and continued at it for another week.

Now, I was laying on the ground, staring at the sky, unwilling to move. It hurt to much. It hurt just to move. Not to mention building up chakra, it felt like I would explode. I growled in frustration but that quickly turned to a roar of frustration. Everything hurt. How was I supposed to master this stupid jutsu? Dark chakra was stronger than my normal chakra, so I used it. I was using power and and everything! So what was I missing?

* * *

><p><em>"C'mon, Koinu! You can do it!" Gakuro sensei encouraged me.<em>

_I took a deep breath and concentrated again, feeling chakra consume my hand but trying to light it on fire was the hard part. I sighed in annoyance as my chakra faded._

_"C'mon, Koinu! You can do it! You just have too_

_"Focus."_

* * *

><p>I sat up at the memory. That's right! When I'd been trying to learn how to light my hand on fire initially I wasn't focusing enough! Maybe that's what I wasn't doing right! I groaned and forced myself to my feet, grabbing the last rubber ball I had with me. I took a deep breath, and concentrated on everything that I'd hated about life. I felt the dark chakra flow through me rather than my normal chakra, and forced it in to my hand. I groaned from the pain it caused me, feeling like a thousand needles were stabbing my hand and arm. I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth tightly. I focused and focused. Had to find something to focus on. But, something I hated.<p>

I groaned and suddenly the moon popped in to my mind. I focused on it, and focused on it. I opened my eyes and let the dark chakra flow in to the rubber ball, all indifferent directions. Chakra seemed to fly through the air around us and the rubber ball exploded with a satisfying boom, but the pressure forced me to fly back. I yelped as I slammed in to a tree, smirked, before I slammed in to the ground, face down.

* * *

><p>Jiraiya looked up from helping Naruto out with his training when he heard a loud boom. He left Naruto, but rounded around and went in to the forest, wondering what that was. Finally, he came to a small spot, rubber ball remains littering the ground. All of them only had a single hole in them, maybe two holes here and there. He blinked in question, before spotting Koinu laying on the ground face down.<p>

He walked carefully over to her, before rolling her over on to her back, and saw that she was unconscious. He looked in to the middle of the clearing and spotted the torn and tattered remains of an exploded rubber ball. He smirked, before carefully picking her up. I held and carried her bridal-style to the hotel, where I placed her on her separate bed-mat thing, though she hadn't touched it until now.

I stood up and smirked at her. So she'd finished the second stage before Naruto, huh? Jiraiya smirked as he wondered if she'd be able to finish the third stage before Naruto too. Then again, that boy had a lot more stamina than her, and they'd need all the stamina they could muster for this last stage._  
><em>


	14. Stages, Wages, and Snakes

**Chapter 14:**

**Stages, Wages, and Snakes  
><strong>

I woke up, my brain pounding against my skull. I groaned and sat up looking around the room. Nobody was here, but Naruto and Jiraiya's bags were packed neatly and sitting on the floor by the door. I groaned and grabbed the remaining bag that was Jiraiya's, but I carried it, and packed my bed and stuff. Afterwords I sat in the room, rubbing my head. My left hand twitched involuntarily, so I knew I was still feeling after effects from this jutsu, but I felt thousands of times better.

I glared out the window at the sun, and judging from it's height in the sky it was somewhere around 7 or 8 in the morning. I rubbed my head, and suddenly realized that I wasn't wearing my headband. I blinked, before looking around the room desperately for it. I grabbed Naruto's bag, unzipped it, and dumped it on to the floor. His frog wallet flopped out, along with our stuffed animals and ANBU masks and extra clothes and whatnot. But, no headband. I moaned and did the same to Jiraiya's bag, but the stuff in there were pretty much unmentionable. I'll just say my headband wasn't in there, shall we?

I growled in annoyance and slammed my fist in to the floor. A few minutes later Jiraiya and Naruto ran in to the room, bags in their hands. Naruto's eyes widened in shock when he saw the stuff that had been in Jiraiya's bag. Jiraiya put the bags down before stuffing his stuff back in to his bag. A second later Naruto did the same, and then both looked at me.

"What happened?" Jiraiya asked, and I growled in anger.

"My headband is gone!" I shouted.

Jiraiya laughed suddenly, before pulling it out of his pocket and tossing it at me. "I didn't want it to get lost so I put it in my pocket."

I growled and tied my headband on, before looking at the bags as the smell of ramen lifted to my nose. I blinked and pointed at it. "Is that-is that pork miso?" I asked, Naruto laughed and nodded, pulling out our breakfast. While we ate I found out I'd been asleep for two full days, and in that time Naruto had gotten passed the second stage too. I smirked, so we were on to the third stage together now, huh?

Once we finished eating Jiraiya took us to the edge of the town. I looked back, the streets now barren because the festival was long since over.

"All right, let's go!" Jiraiya shouted, pointing down the road.

"Quit acting like a little kid. Let's go puleez." Naruto grumbled.

"What? You're in a foul mood." Jiraiya huffed.

"Well! Why not? We're in the middle of training! Yous aid there were three stages to this jutsu right? We've only gotten through two of them so far!" Naruto retorted hotly.

"Ah hah hah. Well, you can practice the third state even while we're walking." Jiraiya informed us.

"Really?" I asked, yawning from waking up somewhat early. Jiraiya pulled two balloons up, and filled them up with air before smacking one over to each of us.

"What's with the balloon?" Naruto asked, being the idiot that he is while Jiraiya blew his own balloon.

"The first state was rotation, the second state was power. And now this is the third state!" He exclaimed, holding his hand up with it. We both stared at the balloon... but after a minute of constant staring nothing happened.

"Wait, are we supposed to be seeing something?" I asked feeling stupid.

"Well, on first glance it may look like I'm just holding the balloon in my hand, but let me show you with my left hand what's really going on." He held his left hand up. "So what's happening on the inside of the balloon, you ask?" Suddenly chakra began spiraling in the middle of his hand, and grew until it was a full sphere. I blinked and my eyes widened in shock.

"I-it looks like a mini cyclone!" I exclaimed in awe. So that's what we were learning! Holy COW! That was freaking awesome!

"So you see, in the third state you put out everything you've learned so far full force and then...

"Contain it." He informed us. "In short, while you maximize your chakra's rotation and power, you form an additional layer on the inside of the balloon, and visualize compressing the chakra within." I stared at the cyclone in awe, until Jiraiya dispelled it and tossed the balloon up and down.

"So why do we need to learn how to do that?" Naruto asked, and I literally smacked my forehead protector, but Jiraiya decided to explain further.

"Well, watch closely. Up until the second state this is what you can do." He said as he turned and faced a tree. A mini tornado looking thing of chakra formed in his palm until he slammed it in to the tree. I looked over his shoulder, and saw a long spiral circle looking thing. I blinked, before Jiraiya turned to look back at us. "Now, if you master the third state..." He formed the mini cyclone sphere in his hand, and slammed it in to the tree. He backed away, and I stared in awe at the crater looking thing in the tree.

"If you can keep this mini cyclone in your palm, it will stay together, rotations will speed up, the power will compress, and it will be that much more ultimately destructive!" Jiraiya exclaimed. I sighed and looked at the balloon in my hand. I watched as Naruto tried his hand at it, but ultimately it ended with him making it pop and explode. This might be easy for me. I do, after all, have good control over my chakra.

I stared at the balloon in my hand, and concentrated. When I felt the darkness running through my veins I streamed it in to the balloon but gritted my teeth and forced it to stay away from the edges. I closed my eyes and could literally feel it spiraling around in a circle. I groaned and focused, containing it from the edges but managing to keep it in a sphere. Finally, I felt my chakra slipping away and it disappeared. I opened my eyes, and smiled when I saw that the balloon was still in tact. I looked up at Jiraiya, hope burning in my eyes and he smirked, and nodded.

"The balloon didn't even move an inch." I yelled in excitement and threw the balloon in to the air, leaping up in excitement. "However, you're far from done. You don't have to use a balloon anymore, but try to contain and keep it going longer." I nodded, a smile still splitting my features in half. I glanced at Naruto, who was staring at the balloon miserably, and I felt a bit bad for him. I shook my head quickly. You learn through trial and error right? And why did I even care about this kid? All he was was an annoying brat to me.

Jiraiya, Naruto, and I than walked on down the road, on our way to wherever. It didn't take long, just a lot of Naruto messing up and popping the balloon tons of times. A few hours later we arrived outside of a town called Tanzaku Town. I stared at the sign, wondering why we were here. Naruto yelped as he popped another balloon, this time falling over on to the ground. I sniggered until I caught Jiraiya mumble under his breath.

"Tsunade's impatient and short-tempered..." He muttered to no one in particular.

"Who's Tsunade?" I asked. Jiraiya looked at me in confusion, before realization dawned across his face.

"Right, I never told you. Naruto and I were looking for Tsunade, the last legendary senin in the group. She should be here." He informed me, looking back towards the town. I shrugged, now understanding, and followed Jiraiya as we made our way in to town.

Our first stop was at a gambling house, where Jiraiya immediately went to the owner and started asking questions. Meanwhile Naruto and I stood by the entrance, him once again messing with a new balloon. A nearby man at a gambling spot smirked at him.

"Hey, kid. If you add the pips on the dice and get an even number, that's cho. If you get an odd number, that's han." He informed Naruto, tossing a few dice up and down.

"Can't you see I'm busy here? Leave me alone!" Naruto growled. I narrowed my eyes at the man, before mentally calculating how much money I had. Enough to gamble a few rounds maybe. I smirked and sat down on the mat across from the man.

"I'll play."

"A little lady like you? I'm not sure-" He stopped talking as I held 500 Ryo up in my hand. Not much, but decent enough for the first round. The man nodded, before rolling two dice and before they could stop slammed a little cup thing over them. He then motioned to me.

"Cho? Or han?" I narrowed my eyes at the cup, and shrugged.

"Han." The man lifted the cup off and smirked, revealing two dice who's numbers added up to four. I growled and threw my money at the man before pulling out 500 more Ryo."Let's go again." The man nodded and repeated the process, and I guessed Han again. But, again it was Cho. I groaned and decided to play one more time, but if I won I wanted to be able to win some money. I pulled out 2,000 Ryo, and nodded at the man again. He smirked and repeated the process, and I stared at the cup. Suddenly Naruto's balloon popped again, and the man fell back. Quickly I opened the cup up slightly, saw that the numbers were even, sat the cup down, and then returned to my normal, thoughtful position.

"Han." I answered again. The man snickered and opened the cup, before seeing that the numbers were in fact odd this time. I smirked and held my hand out, receiving my extra 2,000 Ryo. "Thank you." I said, pocketing my money, and then turning around as Jiraiya finished talking to the man, and we then left. We went further in to town, stopping at yet another gambling place. Jiraiya talked to the manager, while Naruto inspected some of the machines. I watched as he found one stray coin, and watched as he continued on and on. Eventually, he had so much money that he couldn't even fit all of it into his wallet, so he had to dump some in to his bag. We left again, since Jiraiya couldn't find Tsunade there either.

"Well, I guess we'll have to do this the old fashioned way." Jiraiya sighed, pulling out a telescope looking thing from his shirt. "C'mon, guys." Naruto and I nodded, trailing after him. We walked through the town, until we arrived to some sort of castle ruins place. I narrowed my eyes at them, but shrugged. We leaped on top of a set of walls, before a man came scurrying down the road.

"Ho! Stranger! Hold on just a minute! What went on down there?" Jiraiya called down. The man stopped and stared at us, fear tearing through his eyes.

"You all ought to run too! There are monsters down there!"

"Monsters?" Naruto muttered.

"What do you mean? What sort of monsters?" Jiraiya called down.

"A-a giant snake! It destroyed the castle in an instant!" My head snapped up, and I realized that these castle ruins were new... they hadn't just happened. And then my eyes widened in surprise, and sudden determination. A giant snake? The only person I'd ever seen use snakes was Orochimaru. I growled and leaped to the next wall, deciding that Jiraiya and Naruto could follow if they wanted to. If not, I'd catch up to them later.

I ran straight for the castle ruins, hoping that I'd get there before Orochimaru. However, I landed on the last wall that wasn't in ruins in vain. Orochimaru wasn't there. I growled and slammed my fist in to the top of the wall, causing shingles to crack and slide to the ground. I glared at the huge hole in the last wall, wondering if that was the way Orochimaru had gone. I took a step forward, but Jiraiya's hand clasped on to my shoulder, holding me back.

"C'mon, guys. Tsunade obviously isn't here. Let's go get some food." I glared at the hole again, before snarling and turning away, reluctantly following Naruto and Jiraiya. I hadn't even thought, at that moment, to try and sniff their scents out.

We went back in to town, and Jiraiya decided to stop at some bar type of place. Naruto started complaining but all I could think about was that filthy snake Orochimaru slithering about like the snake that he is. Meanwhile, I'm being dragged in to a bar with a blonde idiot and white headed perv. Fuuuuun. We walked in, and I smacked straight in to Jiraiya's back as he suddenly stopped.

"Dude! Move on ahead! Or are we going to be eating standing up?" I growled as I walked around him and stood beside Naruto. I then realized he was staring at some lady who looked like she was in her mid twenties... early thirties maybe.

"Tsunade!" Jiraiya boomed.

"Jiraiya?" The lady asked, and I noticed another lady sat beside her. Tsunade had blonde hair, the ends at the back tied in to pig tails. She wore black pants and a gray top with a blue sash around her stomach. The other lady wore a black cloak and had black hair.

"I've finally found you." Jiraiya sighed in relief. I narrowed my eyes at Tsunade. She was really the same age as Jiraiya and Orochimaru? Daaaamn, they really let themselves go, huh? Jiraiya led us over to their table, where we all crammed in to the one side of the booth. I sat at the farthest end to the exit, Naruto in the middle and Jiraiya on the other end.

"Been seeing a lot of familiar faces today." Tsunade muttered, and I could tell she was either drunk or close to it. I rolled my eyes as the waiter brought us our food, and I began hogging down my ramen, but was definitely listening to the conversation.

"Orochimaru right?" I clenched my free hand in to a fist, and saw out of the corner of my eye that Tsunade's eyes flashed to it briefly, then looked back at Jiraiya. "So what's up?"

Tsunade considered the question for a minute, and glared at her fellow friend or whoever as the lady looked at then shrugged. "Nuthin' really, just wanted to say hi I guess." I bit my lip after I swallowed my mouthful of ramen. Orochimaru, find somebody just to say hi? Fat chance. I knew that and I barely knew the guy! "So what's up with you? Whaddya want from me?"

I shoved some more ramen in to my mouth, as Jiraiya sat his cup down and sighed. "I'll lay it straight. Tsunade, the village requests you accept the title of Fifth Hokage." I coughed loudly, ramen noodles getting caught in my throat. Naruto did the same, though with his fish. I slammed my fist on to my chest, finally swallowing my noodles. I looked at Naruto as he continued coughing and hacking, thumping my fist on to his back until he finally swallowed it. I then looked back at the two senin, though neither of them seemed to care.

"Did you hear about the Third Hokage?" Jiraiya continued.

"Orochimaru did him in right? I heard straight from the snake's mouth, as it were." Tsunade answered, and this time I clenched both of my hands in to fists on the table. I decided I was done eating for the night, dropping my chopsticks on the table, leaned back, and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Orochimaru! He killed the Hokage!" Naruto shouted, and I rolled my eyes. I was about to answer, until Naruto asked another question. "Who the heck's Orochimaru?" I smacked the back of his head. He hissed and looked at me, wondering why I'd done that.

"Orochimaru's the third senin, idiot. Traitor to Konoha and mass murderer of many." I answered.

"Jiraiya, who are these brats?" Tsunade asked suddenly. I blinked and glared at her. Brat? Ok, Naruto maybe but me? Oh no she didn't! I instantly hated this chick.

"This is Naruto Uzumaki." Jiraiya smirked. "And that's Koinu Hashitaki." Tsunade looked at Naruto and then me, seemingly uninterested. She stared either in to or at my eyes for a few seconds longer than normal, and I just glared.

"Why her for Hokage!" Naruto shouted, and I slammed my fist in to his shoulder yelling 'Shut up!' as I did so.

"Well, Tsunade?" Jiraiya continued.

"Sorry, no thanks!" Tsunade sighed. I blinked and stared at her incredulously. She... she really didn't take the position of Hokage?

"That line, brings back memories. I remember you used it once before when I asked you to go out with me." Jiraiya laughed.

"So what was all that about in the beginning about some research, huh? What the heck's going on!" Naruto shouted. "You know why, I don't care! We're going to drag her back with us to the village and have her fix Sasuke and Master Kakashi, right! Where did this Hokage thing come from? And worse, she turned it down!" Naruto shouted, getting to his feet and jabbing his finger at Tsunade.

"Calm down. She's the only possible choice for Fifth Hokage. Not only did she contribute greatly towards Konoha's victory during the turbulent era of The Great War, but there are still none who can stand shoulder to shoulder with her in regards to battle or medical , Tsunade is the granddaughter of the first Hokage, so she is a Konoha Shinobi of a most worthy blood." I snorted.

"So just because she's related to the First Hokage automatically makes her a worthy ninja?" I growled, but Jiraiya continued, ignoring me.

"If she would just agree to become Hokage, we can go home. And then, like you said we can have her take a look at Sasuke and Kakashi. This is the decision of Konoha's highest-ranking will, the counselors. So the opinions of two junior ninja don't really count." Naruto humphed, and sat back down, and I just rolled my eyes.

"Heh, Jiraiya. Unlike your last disciple, this kid's got a worse mouth, brains, and even mug." She said, and I knew she talked about Naruto. Jiraiya was NOT my master or whatever. He asked me to come anyway, for reasons I don't know myself.

"WHAT!" Naruto shouted.

"Aw, come on. Everybody pales in comparison to the Fourth Hokage." My eyes widened a fraction. The Fourth Hokage... had been this guy's pupil? "As a shinobi, his capacity was unparalleled, a true one-of-a-kind. He was overflowing with talent for jutsu and intelligence, he was socially popular, and well... quite the looker, just like me." Jiraiya said, as modest as ever.

"But even with all that going for him, he died prematurely." Tsunade piped in, downing the mood. "Sacrificing his life for the village." I glared at her, as did Naruto. "Life isn't like money, to risk and throw it away so easily is a fool's errand." She looked up at me and Naruto, smirking. "They say both my grandfather and the second Hokage wanted an end to hostilities more than anything. And yet in the end, they died in vain for the village, while still in the midst of pursuing their dreams."

"You've changed, Tsunade. I don't know if these thoughts had been running through your head the whole time, but to actually be voicing them." iraiya sighed.

"Well, I am in my fifties you know. Time changes people." She took a sip of her drink, before setting it back down. "Same with Master Sarutobi. If a teetering geezer tries to act youthful of course he's going to croak!" And I saw that this hit a chord with Jiraiya. I guess the Third Hokage, being his sensei and all, had been real close to him.

"The title of Hokage's a joke. Only a fool would take it." I snarled, but before I could do anything Naruto leaped from his seat, flipping over his remaining food, and tried to start something with Tsunade. However, Jiraiya caught the back of his jacket before he could. Naruto's feet slammed on to the table, and he growled in annoyance.

"Hey! Let me go!" Naruto shouted.

"Get down. This is a pub." Jiraiya growled.

"I ain't gonna just stand here and let you insult the old man or the Fourth Hokage! I don't care that you are a lady! I'll slug you with all I've got!" Naruto roared, smacking his fist in to his right palm. I watched as Tsunade stood up, face to face with Naruto.

"You've got guts, I'll give you that to say it to my face. Come on outside with me, brat." Tsunade smirked. So all five of us clambered out in to the deserted street of the night. Naruto stood across from Tsunade, while Jiraiya and I sat off to the side a bit with that other lady. I sat crouched, ready to jump in if I needed to. I wanted a piece of action at this lady too.

"Despite how I might look, I was once counted as a senin. I don't need my full strength against a Genin." She smirked and held up her right index finger. "One finger'll be enough." Naruto pulled out a kunai, and then two shuriken and threw the shuriken as he ran forward.

"Give me a break!" He shouted. He lunged forward with his kunai, but Tsunade ducked under, and somehow took the kunai from him with on finger. She threw it up, clipping Naruto right underneath his headband and sending the knife and headband flying in to the air. Naruto's head jerked back, and he looked forward, only to be flicked in the middle of his forehead. He flew back a good deal, and as he stood up the kunai sank in to the ground less than a foot from him, his headband falling on to the ground a few feet away.

"Hey, kid! I've just got one question for you before you pass out! Why are you so sensitive about the title Hokage?" Tsunade called, and Naruto smirked as he stood up.

"'Cuz unlike you, I want that title someday. To be Hokage is my dream!" Naruto answered.

I watched as Naruto closed his eyes as he held his right hand out in front of him. Suddenly, I smirked as I watched him make an at least decent form of the jutsu we were learning. Tsunade blinked, looking genuinely surprised.

"What? This jutsu's!"

"Take this!" Naruto shouted, before lunging at Tsunade with the sphere. Tsunade blinked, before raising her right arm up, and then bringing her finger down on to the ground in front of her. Suddenly a fissure like thing spread from the spot and under Naruto. Naruto yelped in surprise, the sphere slamming in to the ground in front of Tsunade. Naruto fell in between the cracks in the ground, before slowly pulling and pushing himself out. Tsunade looked completely smug standing there! I gritted my teeth, and glared at her.

As if sensing my glare, Tsunade looked at me, and smirked. "Would you like your own turn to tell me about how you want to become Hokage too?" She asked, as if I were some little kid. I snarled warningly, and both Naruto and Jiraiya flinched. I hadn't snarled like that in a while. Not even since I'd met Naruto. I cracked my neck and stood up, my fists clenched tightly.

"Nah, that's not my first and foremost goal." I smirked.

"Well, what is?" She asked, like she was trying to entertain me, and I chuckled.

"I'm gonna be the one to kill Orochimaru." I answered, and Tsunade busted out laughing.

"You can't kill Orochimaru! You're just a Genin! A little kid who can't even protect herself from another enemy!"Tsunade laughed.

I snarled and shot my right hand in front of me, my palm facing her. A beam of my dark chakra shot out at her, but like I expected she dodged it easily. I ran forward, clenching my hand to cut the chakra off. She ran to meet me, but I ducked away as she jabbed her finger at me. I rolled to the right as she brought her arm down, dodging just in time. I channeled fire chakra on to my hand, and went to backhand the back of her neck, but she spun around and jabbed her finger into the nerve right under the inside of my elbow. I hissed as my chakra disappeared. Tsunade smirked and brought her finger up, hooking it underneath my headband and yanking it off. I watched as she tried to flick my forehead, but quickly ducked before she could. I leaped back, and quickly made five shadow clones. The five of them all ran forward, and began distracting Tsunade. I took a deep breath and began focusing, making sure to keep my eye on Tsunade though. My headband clanged on to the ground by Tsunade's foot. I growled and forced my dark chakra in to my palm, smirking slightly when I saw the sphere form. However, because of my chakra it was pitch black. I growled and focused on keeping it going. I roared as I ran forward, towards Tsunade. She had already dispelled four of my clones, and finished my fifth off with breaking a sweat. All the while using one finger. She looked at me and shook her head when she saw that I was trying to use the same jutsu, though I think she was a bit surprised that it was black. Tsunade brought her arm up and went to slam her finger down on either my head, my hand as I lunged forward, or the ground. Either way, I was smart enough to leap in to the air as she brought her arm down. I snarled and went to slam the sphere in to her shoulder, but she spun out of the way. From that point, I couldn't stop myself. My eyes widened before the sphere slammed in to the ground, creating a decent crater (though not like the one Jiraiya had created in the tree). My head slammed on the ground and I groaned, rolling over on to my back and standing up.

"Do you believe me yet, kid?" She asked, looking as smug as usual.

I snarled, and without thinking I felt my nails and teeth sharpen. I knew my pupils dilated as dark chakra surrounded me. I growled threateningly, dropping down to all fours. I could feel the instinct to kill coursing through my veins, and too little too late I realized I was letting Garou slip through. I stopped him just before I shifted in to a wolf, but I could hear Tsunade's heart beating evenly, though her breath hitched slightly in surprise. I roared angrily, before darting at her with inhuman speed. I appeared behind her and went to slam my fist in to her back, but she ducked under my fist. She turned around to face me, and before I could even react she did exactly what she'd done to Naruto, flicking me square in my forehead. I flew back and slammed in to the ground, before shaking my head and getting up, caging Garou back, though my nails and teeth were still sharpened.

I watched as Tsunade lifted her foot and then slammed it down on top of my headband. I narrowed my eyes in question.

"Jiraiya! Where you the one who taught these kids the Rasengan?" Tsunade asked, turning to face Jiraiya. I growled and caged Garou firmly, sitting down and glaring at Tsunade.

"I am their mentor, you know. At least at present." Jiraiya answered. Tsunade humphed.

"The only ones who can manage that jutsu are you and the Fourth. Playing mighty mentor by teaching them jutsu that they have no hope of mastering? That's cruel." Tsunade laughed. "That's how dreamy-eyed brats get started on the whole 'I'm going to become Hokage' farce!" Naruto flinched slightly. "Or the whole 'I'm going to kill a Level A criminal as a Genin!" I rolled my eyes at Tsunade.

"It's not a farce! Shut up!" Naruto shouted. "Give me three days and I'll master this jutsu for you!" He shouted.

"And I _will _kill Orochimaru! Just watch!" I added, standing up. Maybe I was spending too much time with Naruto. I was starting to act like him!

"Feh. Nice words, brats. But ninja don't break their words, you know!" Tsunade snickered.

"Heh! I never go back on my word! What's my shinobi way." Naruto retorted, smirking. Tsunade raised an eyebrow and looked at me, and I glared back at her, and she smirked.

"Then let's make a wager. I'll give you both a week to master this jutsu. If you manage it in that time, I'll acknowledge that you're worthy of becoming Hokage. Or that you can kill Orochimaru. And I'll give you this necklace, Naruto. But if you can't, then I get your money." She pulled out Naruto's wallet. "And as for you, I'll give you your headband back. Until then, it's mine."

I snarled and ran forward. No way was she taking my headband! I'd earned that thing! I pulled my arm back, meaning to hit her, but her leg shot out and slammed in to my stomach. I coughed, blood spurting out of my mouth. I flew back and slammed in to the wall of one of the stores in the street, and fell to the ground. I caught myself, and glared at Tsunade.

"No way. Give me my headband back." I snarled.

Tsunade smirked, bending over and picking it up. She slid it in to her pocket, and looked at me, daring me to do something. I growled and clenched my fists tightly, but Tsunade just turned around and started walking away.

"Wait, Tsunade, won't you come drinking with me a bit longer?" Jiraiya asked suddenly. "For old time's sake? Shizune, could you take Naruto and Koinu and go look for a night's lodging?" I spat a small mouthful of blood on to the ground beside me and stood up.

"I'm going to go train." I said over my shoulder, leaving before anybody could protest. I glanced over my shoulder, and saw Tsunade smirking and looking at me out of the corner of her eye. I rolled my eyes and looked forward, leaving the town and trying to find a suitable spot to train.

* * *

><p>I eventually came to a cliff, dead trees littering the ground on the bottom of the cliff, with live trees on top. I climbed the cliff quickly and swiftly, and focused on containing my Rasengan. I trained and trained for hours, trying to figure this thing out. I grunted as finally, the afternoon of the next day, I fell to my knees and then to the ground. My fingers were numb. I had already exhausted my chakra, and though I was regaining it slowly, it was like agitating a wound to be training so fiercely. I groaned as I succumbed to the darkness.<p>

When I woke up, it was in the middle of the night. I looked at the moon and groaned, Garou scratching and fighting more than ever to get out of me. I pushed him back and then continued training right away. I trained through the rest of the night. The morning. The afternoon, and then forced myself to keep going to the next night. Eventually, I doubled over on to the ground, groaning and moaning. Garou was feistier than ever. I heard a twig snap from behind me. I spun around and spotted Tsunade standing there, staring at me. I grunted as Garou clawed at my insides, clutching my stomach.

"Why do you fight so hard?" She asked. I took a few moments, sweat pouring from my head as I gasped for breath, until I could finally answer.

"Because like I said, I'm going to kill Orochimaru." I looked up at her from my position on the ground, and she was staring at me, but her eyes were distant.

"Why do you try so hard, though? For a feat you know isn't possible?" I snarled.

"I'll make it possible! I might not kill him this year or in ten years, but I'll make sure that I'm the one who kills him." I growled. She stared at me as I roared in pain, Garou fighting his hardest, and because of my weakened state I couldn't fight back as hard. My eyes widened as I felt my nails grow and my teeth sharpen. I grabbed the ground and pulled myself underneath a tree, in to the shadows. As soon as my entire body was wrapped in darkness, Garou stopped. I sighed in relief and collapsed on the ground, my face accepting the coolness from the ground. I stared at Tsunade's body, watching as it grew fuzzy and even started turning sideways until finally I passed out.

I trained like that the rest of the week. Endlessly working at it. I was close a couple of times, but never just like how it looked with Jiraiya's. I groaned and slammed my fist in to on of the trees on the last night, all of the trees around me having craters, but with spirals in it, not just a smooth crater. I groaned and screamed in anger and annoyance. Why couldn't I do it? I was focusing and everything! I had the concept down, I knew what to do! But every time I tried my hardest to, I just... couldn't. I growled and slammed my foot in to the same tree, toppling the already damaged and hurt tree.

I sighed and turned around, heading back to the hotel. I'd seen Jiraiya once or twice in town, only when I went to go eat. So he'd shown me where my room was, in the one right between his and Naruto's, and then Tsunade and her friend's. I flopped down on my bed, staring at the ceiling, and for the first time that week I fell asleep peacefully.

I woke up when I heard something crash to the floor in the room that was supposedly Tsunade's. I groaned and rubbed my eyes, before sitting up. I was still exhausted, but I felt a bit better. I quickly slid in to my shoes and opened the door, to be met with the sight of Tsunade walking down the hall. I narrowed my eyes, and quietly closed the door behind me, following her silently. I stopped suddenly, focused on my nose, and registered Tsunade's scent. I then sat in the hall for a few minutes, before following her scent until I was outside, and then broke in to a run.

I arrived to the scene to find Tsunade fighting Kabuto, craters lining the ground in various places. Tsunade was gasping for breath, while Kabuto seemed to be having some sort of issues on the ground a few yards away from Tsunade. Meanwhile, Orochimaru was defenseless. I spotted him, and stared at him for a few moments. The snake. The snake of my nightmares standing meters from me, unprotected and arms wrapped in a way that made me wonder if he could even use them. Itook a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself before I ran blindly in there.

"Koinu, why don't you just come on out and join the party?" Orochimaru suddenly hissed, looking towards me from behind the boulder I was hiding behind. I blinked in surprise, and I could tell both Kabuto and Tsunade were also surprised. I clenched my fists tightly in determination, before walking out from behind the boulder.

She had taken a shortcut on top of the houses, and I quickly realized she was heading towards the fallen castle. I growled mentally, before making myself move faster. I wasn't too far away when I heard a loud crashing sound, and a few seconds later a wall crumpled to pieces. I watched as two shadows leaped away, and then another followed them. I snarled and continued running after them, picking up speed to catch up.


	15. Gone

**Chapter 15:**

**Gone  
><strong>

"What are you doing here? You'll just get yourself killed!" Tsunade yelled at me. I ignored her, glaring at Orochimaru, who only glared back at me. I wasn't afraid, heck I was excited! Yeah, call me weird all you want.

"Kabuto, pay attention to Tsunade. I'll take care of the brat." Orochimaru hissed. Kabuto nodded, before darting at Tsunade. I didn't have time to worry about Tsunade, I had a fight of my own to deal with. Orochimaru smiled morbidly at me.

"So, Koinu, tell me. What happened to your headband?" He asked me. I blinked, forgetting that I didn't have it on, and my eyes darted to Tsunade, who was fighting Kabuto. I sighed and decided I'd get it back from her after the fight. I looked back at Orochimaru, and shrugged.

"What's it to you?" I growled, and Orochimaru sighed.

"Now, now, Koinu. No need to use such tones right?" Orochimaru asked innocently, and I just laughed harshly.

"Look who's talking! You killed my team! The only family I ever had!" I growled, creating three clones quickly. I formed a string of hand signs as they ran forward, before being cloaked in my fire. I charged forward, using my Fire Bullet Jutsu. Orochimaru dodged and dispelled my clones easily, slamming his foot in to my back. I disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and Orochimaru sighed as if he were troubled.

I dropped from the sky, my palms down facing him. He looked up as two beams of chakra shot at him. He smirked as he leaped back and I landed on the ground where he'd been, fists clenched. I darted forward, and started punching and kicking, doing anything I could to hit him. He only ducked, dodged, and moved back as he needed to though. I didn't hit or clip him at all. He finally stopped and slammed his foot in to my stomach as I threw my weight forward to try and punch him. I flew back as blood spurted from my mouth, slamming in to a boulder and denting it. I groaned as I fell on to the ground, before seeing a cloud of smoke appear from in between Tsunade and Kabuto. Orochimaru turned to look, and I smirked when Jiraiya, Naruto, and Tsunade's friend appeared. Orochimaru hissed and turned around, eyes locking with Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya, it's been awhile."

"Looking morbid as ever, Orochimaru." Jiraiya said before spotting me. His eyes widened, but I took this as my chance while Orochimaru's back was turned. I held my right hand out, and shot a beam of my dark chakra. Orochimaru sensed it at the last second and ducked, but not before it clipped the top of his shoulder. He hissed in fury as blood welled from the wound, and I smirked. I'd been able to hit him, finally. I was at least getting better than. Suddenly, my curse mark throbbed. I grunted and grabbed at it with my left hand, my eyes widened in pain.

Orochimaru turned around to face me, and I smirked. "C'mon, Orochimaru. You're not gonna let a measly Genin like me hurt you, right?" I asked as I stood up, wiping a drop of blood from the corner of my mouth. Orochimaru hissed threateningly."I thought we'd already established this, Orochimaru." I asked before my look turned in to a glare. "I'm not afraid of you." He chuckled.

"And like I've said before too, you should be." He snarled, running at me. I ran at him, intending on meeting with him. I wasn't afraid. I definitely wasn't going to cower and run away now. I growled as we neared each other, until an arm slammed in to my chest and carried me in to the opposite direction, before appearing beside Naruto. I humphed when I realized Jiraiya had pulled me back. Kabuto leaped back to Orochimaru's side as Orochimaru stood up and smirked at me sadistically. I sat there, in front of Jiraiya and Naruto, glaring at him.

"Why'd you pull me back?" I asked angrily.

"Because even without the use of his arms, Orochimaru will kill you." Jiraiya answered back calmly.

I grabbed at my curse mark as it started prickling. I stood up, my left arm hanging across my neck and chest and grabbing my mark.

"Tsunade, rest with your recovery jutsu. Suzume, you take four eyes. Orochimaru's mine." Jiraiya commanded.

"Hey! What about me?" Naruto shouted.

"You, Koinu, and Piggy stay here and protect Tsunade."

"What? I wanna fight too! I can-"

"No! Like four-eyes over there said, you're not at that level yet. Orochimaru's one of the legendary senin like me, and the Third Hokage's killer. An eye for an eye! And I'm the only one who can do it. Also, four-eyes is at the same level as Kakashi." I snarled angrily.

"I can hold my own against Orochimaru! And I'll stay out of your way, I swear!" I argued, but Jiraiya glared at me.

"No. That's final, Koinu." I growled.

"Why not? Give me one reason! You know I'm stronger than Naruto! You know I'm stronger than a Genin! You know I deserve to be a Chunin!"

"Yes, I know."

"Then why can't I help!"

"Because even an ANBU wouldn't be able to beat Orochimaru."

"But ANBU members don't have a demon sealed inside of them! And they definitely don't have a curse mark!" I shouted suddenly, and blinked. I'd never used either of those two to say that I was stronger than other people. It made me feel... desperate.

"No. That's final." I sighed and lowered my eyes to the ground, before looking back up. Jiraiya bit his thumb and shoved it in to the palm of his other hand. Kabuto slid a spurt of blood down the top of Orochimaru's left arm, and both did a string of hand signs before slamming their hands on to the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!" They shouted simultaneously. In a huge cloud of smoke two snakes appeared, with Orochimaru and Kabuto on top of one of them. I glared up at them, my feet itching to run up on top of the snakes. In a cloud of smoke on our side appeared a, I looked down, a... little frog... I smacked my forehead.

"Who's the one that said they could beat Orochimaru?" I asked under my breath, though Jiraiya still heard me.

"You shut up, you!" Jiraiya shouted immaturely. Orochimaru then proceeded to call Jiraiya pathetic and what not. I growled under my breath, and ignored what Jiraiya said. I ran at one of the snakes, leaping up and channeling chakra in to my feet, I ran up the side of the unoccupied snake, hoping that neither Orochimaru or Kabuto had noticed me. I glanced down as Naruto shouted 'Summoning Jutsu' himself, and smacked my forehead again when another fellow frog replaced the smoke. I yelped as Kabuto leaped on to the head of the snake I was running up, and the two snakes lunged forward at our group. I channeled chakra in to my hands and grabbed one of the snake's scales, holding on for dear life. The heads crashed in to the ground, kicking up dirt and rocks.

Kabuto leaped off of the snake's head to fight Suzume, who held on to Tsunade. I then ignored them, until the snake bit down on Naruto, though he managed to hold the snake's mouth open. Jiraiya created a dark swamp, which trapped Orochimaru's other snake. I climbed to the top of the snake's body, and ran down it to the spot where the snakes' bodies were closest together. The snake I was on suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke, but I leaped off quickly and managed to grab a scale before I fell in to the swamp. Gladly, I don't believe neither Jiraiya or Orochimaru spotted or heard me.

Orochimaru and Jiraiya then began sparring off. I sat where I was on the snake, until the two started talking and saying something about Naruto. This was my chance. I didn't care if Jiraiya got mad with me or not. I darted up the snake, at Orochimaru's back. I covered myself in fire before lunging forward with my fist. Orochimaru dodged to side, slamming his foot in to my shoulder. I disappeared in a cloud of smoke, only to come running from his back again, a kunai in hand. He ducked under my knife, slamming his foot in to my stomach. I disappeared in another cloud of smoke, and dropped from the sky, a kunai in my hand again. Orochimaru sighed, before his neck shot out at me. I hissed as my scar burned in pain. His teeth sank in to my shoulders, before quickly releasing and his neck went back to normal. I guess he expected me to disappear in a cloud of smoke again. I smirked. He looked around for a second, before looking back up at me in surprise. I smirked as I fell to him and sank my kunai in to his right shoulder. Orochimaru hissed in pain. He glared at me, before kicking me away. I released my kunai and slammed in to the snake, sliding across it until I began sliding off. I channeled chakra in to my hand and grabbed the edge of the snake.

I climbed up the snake, to find Jiraiya and Orochimaru fighting. The two separated, and I shot a beam of dark energy at Orochimaru. He dodged it, and hissed as he darted at me. I smirked and watched him as he ran at me. If anything, I could at least be a diversion so that Jiraiya could get the upper hand. Orochimaru hissed as he neared me, and I dodged to the side as Orochimaru's leg kicked at me. I ducked underneath as said leg hooked at my head, before reaching up and grabbing his leg as he brought it down on me. I locked my shoulder as he tried to add more force to it, and managed to hold it up. As he added more pressure, however, I had to grab his leg with my other hand too.

I cursed under my breath as Orochimaru brought his other leg around and slammed it in to my side, I flew back, releasing Orochimaru, and slid across the snake again. I fell down on top of it's nose, and growled. Suddenly Jiraiya and Orochimaru began fighting upside down. I turned around when I heard Naruto roaring, and smirked when I saw him form an actual Rasengan. So he did it. My smirk disappeared though, because I still didn't know if I could do it. Naruto collapsed, and I turned my attention back to the fight between Orochimaru and Jiraiya. I climbed my way back on to the top of the snake. Jiraiya's back was to me, and Orochimaru could see me. I stood up, and same to Jiraiya's shoulder.

"So, still think I can't hold my own?" I muttered.

"Yes, I still think you would've died if I hadn't been here." I growled and rolled my eyes, but Orochimaru chuckled.

"That boy is no good." Orochimaru hissed.

"Tsunade's a medical ninjutsu specialist. No need to worry about Naruto. You should focus on your opponent. You can't afford to let your eyes wander." Jiraiya replied.

"That's not what I meant." Orochimaru muttered, before suddenly leaping off of the snake. I gasped but leaped off right after him. I was only a foot behind him, and Jiraiya leaped off right after us. Orochimaru looked underneath himself and shot his tongue out, but I picked my feet up in time so that it caught Jiraiya's foot and threw him in to a boulder. Orochimaru than started producing a sword from his mouth. I widened my eyes when he aimed for Naruto, and everything went in slow motion. Tsunade placed herself in front of Naruto at the same time that I shot beams of darkness from my hands to propel me forward quicker. I hit the ground and stood in front of Tsunade as Orochimaru lunged forward with his sword. And then time went normal again.

Orochimaru's sword sank through my stomach, spattering blood on to Tsunade. I coughed and spat blood from my mouth, staring at Orochimaru as blood dripped out of my mouth. Tsunade opened her eyes and gasped.

"Why did you-why did you save me?" She asked, and I replied with a cough of more blood.

"Well... I couldn't just... leave you... to die... could I?" I coughed.

"But, if you die now, you won't ever get the chance to kill him later!" I chuckled.

"Look at who's talking about me killing him now. Don't get me wrong I still hate you, but you still are in the running for Fifth Hokage, right? And I can't just stand by and let the possible future Hokage die." I coughed again, and a few drops of blood spattered on to Orochimaru's face. Orochimaru chuckled.

"Koinu, you will die before the day is over, you know." Orochimaru laughed, and I groaned in response.

"I've never feared death before now, Orochimaru. I've been in that boat at least two times with you." I growled. Orochimaru snickered, before starting to pull his sword out of me. I growled and clenched the sword in front of me with my left hand, ignoring the pain that shot over my left hand as the sword cut in to it. Orochimaru hissed as he jerked to a halt. I smirked.

"You're not going anywhere." I growled. "Oh that reminds me, I still want my headband back, Tsunade." I smirked as more blood dribbled out of my mouth. To this day, I still don't know whether or not it was the adrenaline pumping through my veins, or what. But I held my right hand out in between me and Orochimaru, and concentrated. The dark chakra formed in to a sphere in my palm as I concentrated on containing it. I smirked when I looked down and saw the swirling black chakra sphere. Orochimaru's eyes widened in shock, and he began jerking more violently, probably mangling my hand.

"Let go!" He hissed desperately, and I smirked.

"What's the matter? Are you afraid of a little brat like me?" I asked, before coughing as more blood splashed out of my mouth. "I'm not letting you get away easily... if I'm gonna die."

I groaned as my mark burned more ferociously then before. Orochimaru must be trying to distract me. I could feel the Rasengan in my hand start to falter in my hand, and groaned in concentration. I couldn't keep it going and ignore this mark, it burned too much. I took a deep breath, and sighed as I came to a conclusion. I focused on the Rasengan fully, and let the curse mark's crescents wash over me. I smirked when the mark stopped burning, and Orochimaru hissed. I growled and lunged forward with the Rasengan, ultimately pushing the sword deeper in to my stomach, but I slammed it in to Orochimaru's chest. Orochimaru screamed in pain, and I released the sword as he flew back.

I groaned and doubled over, coughing up more blood. I looked up and my vision blurred as I forced the mark back, having it burn more fiercely now that it was contained. My arms buckled underneath me, and I fell over and collapsed on to my side.

* * *

><p>When I woke up, I woke up to find blinding lights in my face. I growled and sat up, rubbing my eyes with my hands. I looked at my left hand as I felt something rough scrape my skin. I looked at the white bandages, and the events from the earlier fight washed over me. I smirked, before that smirk slipped off of my face. I wonder what had happened to Orochimaru and Kabuto. Had they escaped? Where they both still alive? I groaned and rubbed my head, which was pounding.<p>

My eyes closed as I tried to calm my head down. The door hinges squeaked as they opened, and my eyes snapped open to find Tsunade walking in, smiling. She wore a green coat now. She looked at me and smirked. I looked around and realized I was in her room, instead of my own. I yawned and stared at her, waiting for something to be said. Finally, I decided to break the silence.

"How long have I been out?" I asked.

"About two days, we were waiting for you to wake up before we left." She informed me. I shrugged and climbed out of the bed, slipping in to my shoes and yawning again. My stomach growled in protest. I looked sheepishly at Tsunade, who smirked. "Don't worry, we'll eat too." I smirked, and then something crossed my mind.

"Wait, you said you waited for me to wake up before we left... does that mean...?" I trailed off and Tsunade nodded.

"Yep, I'm the Fifth Hokage!" She winked at me, but I groaned, and Jiraiya appeared in the doorway.

"Something wrong with that, Koinu?" He asked.

"Well, I mean she's a gambling and selfish brute! Compared to the Third she's stupid! I'm kinda worried!" I groaned and Tsunade growled, before reaching over and grabbing the cuff of my shirt.

"Outside, Brat!" She shouted, and I growled in reply. However, she dragged me outside against my will, passing by Jiraiya and Naruto's room. Naruto smiled at me as I passed, before grabbing his bag and running outside after us.

Finally Tsunade let me go, and walked further down the street herself. I humphed and rubbed my shirt, before glaring at her. Tsunade smirked once she stopped and turned around to face me.

"Whatever you think, I'll still be the Fifth Hokage. So all I need to take care of a brat like you is one finger." She held her right index finger up and I snarled.

"Would you quit underestimating me and treating me like I'm some spoiled brat who has unrealistic dreams? I will kill Orochimaru someday!" I shouted at her, and she smiled at me, and shrugged.

"Prove it then." I growled and darted at her. If she used one finger, that meant that if I made that hand unusable I'd win, right? She ducked underneath my right arm as I lunged at her. She went to do something, but quickly I made her leap away as I tried smacking my foot in to her. I spun around in a circle to regain my balance, and smirked at her.

"Running away are we, Tsunade?" And she smirked, before running at me. I held my right hand out and shot a beam of darkness at her, but she dodged it and somehow seemed to move faster. She was a foot away from me before I could blink, and I clenched my fist to cut off the beam as I saw Tsunade prepare to flick my head. Damn not again! I closed my eyes involuntarily, but nothing happened for a few moments.

Suddenly Tsunade pressed her lips to my forehead, and my eyes flew open. What. The. Hell? I stared at her questioningly as she smiled. "Train hard and kill Orochimaru for me, will ya?" She asked.

I made a vomiting sound as I wiped my forehead in disgust, receiving a laugh from my four fellow travelers at the moment. "Like I needed to be asked by you to do that." I muttered, and she smirked. I blinked as I wiped my forehead again and glared at Tsunade. She looked at me innocently.

"What?" She asked.

"Gimme my headband back." I growled, holding my right hand out, waiting. Tsunade laughed and pulled my headband out of her pocket, but appeared behind me suddenly and tied it back on my forehead. I smirked slightly, but quickly made it disappear before she could see. "I'm not a cripple y'know." I muttered as we went in to a restaurant, got some food to go, and then headed back to Konoha. Jiraiya, Suzume, and Tsunade in front of me and Naruto as we ate hungrily. Man, I was going crazy if I actually tolerated these people, which I was starting to do. Especially Naruto.

* * *

><p>When we arrived to Konoha a few hours later, we instantly went to the building right under the Hokage heads. I stared up at them as Tsunade and the others started talking about something when an old hag and some old fart joined us. The Four Hokage's heads were carved in to that mountain, and soon so would Tsunade's ugly mug. I flinched. I'd be forced to see her face everyday even if I didn't see her in person! Pure torture!<p>

We then started exiting the building, but not before running in to Shikamaru. Shikamaru and Naruto started talking about stuff, but my left hand started itching, and my mark did too. I scratched the bandage, but that didn't help any. I growled quietly in frustration and was about to cut the bandage open until Tsunade grabbed my right hand's wrist. I looked up at her in a pout.

"I wouldn't do that." She whispered in to my ear. "Orochimaru's sword was coated in poison. I fully healed your stomach but I didn't have enough chakra to fully heal your hand, but mainly of the side effects. It'll heal on it's own in time, but it'll still itch from the poison." I gulped. Stupid me. Risking my life for this old hag. I should've just let her be the one who was stabbed!

Once Naruto and Shikamaru were done talking, we went to the hospital, and I turned to leave before I entered but Naruto grabbed my arm and pulled me in to the hospital with Tsunade, Shizune, and Naruto. Jiraiya went off somewhere. I groaned in protest. I had no interest in seeing any of these people recover! I could care less! I huffed in annoyance as all four of us crashed in to Sasuke's room, which was already occupied by Sakura. I rolled my eyes. Of course she'd be here.

Tsunade walked over to Sasuke, placed her hand on his forehead, and some weird chakra surrounded her hand until she cut it off and smiled at Sakura. "He'll wake up soon." I glanced at Sakura to see tears already spilling off her face. I narrowed my eyes in disgust. People like her disgusted me. Less than a minute later Sasuke sat up. Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck, and Naruto smiled and went over to him. I rolled my eyes and looked out the window, but heard the door open up. I left after her quickly.

"Are you going to see Kakashi?" I asked. She nodded, but didn't make me go with her. Good. I left the hospital quickly, and made my way in to town. I didn't know where I was going, if anywhere. I was still feeling after effects from all of that training. Not as bad as before, though. My fingers twitched every now and then, and it stung a bit to channel chakra but nowhere near as bad as before. I sat on top of a building near the hospital, not thinking of anything really. I just let my mind wander.

I blinked as a door opened up, revealing Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. Naruto and Sasuke faced off at each other, and I could tell they were about to fight. I watched as the two yelled at each other, until they met each other with fists. Naruto created a ton of clones, most of which Sasuke managed to beat until Naruto tried using some Naruto Uzumaki Barrage thing on him. Sasuke used his Fireball Jutsu towards the end, destroying the rest of the clones, except for one which helped him make a Rasengan. Sasuke then made a Chidori, and I watched as they ran at each other, until Kakashi broke it up. I sighed in disappointment, watching as Sasuke left and soon after Kakashi left after him.

I narrowed my eyes and followed Kakashi, stopping behind a tree, my back to Kakashi and Sasuke, but I could still hear them. I listened as Kakashi reprimanded Sasuke for the caliber of the Chidori, blah blah blah. Once he left, Sasuke humphed in annoyance. I smirked and then ran around and landed on the branch in front of Sasuke. He only glared at me.

"What do you want?" He snarled, and I stared at him with no emotion. He looked so pissed off. Like he just needed to get his anger out. I sighed and then smirked.

"You wanna fight?" Truth be told I've been wanting to fight him for a while now. Sasuke stared at me. "Don't worry about the Chidori either. I'm _not_ your friend." That got a smirk on his face. He nodded, and we traveled a minutes away and deeper in to the forest, stopping at a medium sized clearing. I stopped at one end of said clearing, turned, and faced Sasuke who was at the other end.

Sasuke smirked, before darting forward quickly at me. I dodged quickly to the side, before spinning around and lashing out with my foot. He turned slightly to the side and caught my foot. I growled in annoyance and lunged forward with my fist. He caught my fist with his other hand, and I smirked as I caught him. I lunged underneath our arms with my left fist, and covered it in fire chakra right before I slammed it in to his stomach. Sasuke groaned as he pushed me away. I flipped over, but managed to land on the ground and slid a few feet.

"I'm not as weak, or as stupid as Naruto, Uchiha!" I growled as I surrounded myself in fire chakra. Sasuke leaped to the side, but I followed up with trying to punch him. He ducked underneath it, and slammed his foot in to my stomach, catching me off guard. I groaned as I slid back, my fire chakra being dispelled. I cracked my neck as I formed a Rasengan, which was surprisingly easier this time. Maybe because I knew what to do already. Anyway, my Rasengan formed in my hand, and Sasuke smirked as he formed his Chidori.

We looked up and our eyes met, before we ran at each other. Nobody was here to stop us. If I didn't aim just right I'd either miss and we would clash, or I'd hit and possibly kill Sasuke. I might even miss completely and he'd hit and kill me. Either way, I had to make sure I aimed right. I aimed for his shoulder and chest area, while I assumed that he did the same for me. However at the last second, he changed direction and our two jutsu clashed. I growled in annoyance as the air around us whirled and whizzed. We glared in to each other's eyes, his blood red with those black swirls of the sharingan. I growled before suddenly, the area around us exploded, and we were both sent flying back.

I grunted as my back slammed in to a tree, and Sasuke did the same. I coughed a few times, and smirked at the area of where we'd hit. The ground was seared, the grass burnt. I smirked and looked up as Sasuke stood up, and stood up myself. We both snarled simultaneously and charged at each other, roaring. Suddenly Kakashi leaped in between us, and shoved us both back to where we'd been. I grunted as I slammed in to the tree again, but I leaped to my feet quickly.

"What's your deal!" I shouted angrily.

"What did I tell you?" Kakashi yelled at Sasuke, ignoring me. "You don't aim a Chidori of that caliber at a friend!" I was so angry. I growled and stalked forward, my hands clenched in anger.

"I'm not. His FRIEND!" I shouted, and Kakashi turned around to find me glaring at him, my teeth and fingernails sharpened and my pupils in slits. Kakashi blinked when he saw me. I was so pissed! How come every time I tried fighting someone, to see if I could actually beat them, I was _always _interrupted? He sighed and glared at Sasuke, who realized that it meant for him to leave, though he too looked furious. He glanced at me one last time, before turning and leaving.

"Koinu, calm down." Kakashi ordered, and I snarled.

"Give me one reason. One reason why I should! Every damn time I try to fight someone who's remotely powerful our fight is always interrupted! I'll never know if I can truly protect myself!" I shouted.

Kakashi stared at me, not answering or talking. I took deep breaths, and finally I calmed down, though I was still pissed. I sat down, leaning against the tree. Kakashi walked towards me, before crouching down in front of me.

"Why won't you let anyone become your friend?" He asked, and I sniggered.

"You of all people should know why. Your whole team is dead, though they weren't all killed in front of you at one time, huh?" I asked. Kakashi sighed.

"That's why." He muttered and I laughed bitterly once.

"Yeah. _That's _why. The only people who ever cared about me are all dead. You don't know what it's like, do you? To be hated and denied the right to even exist. To be surrounded and to live in darkness, hatred, and anger. And then, finally one tiny shred of hope and light appears in your life, and gradually a few more appear. You're happy, truly and honestly happy with your life. But then, some monster comes around and smothers it out. Takes your reason to even live from you." I growled, and when I looked at Kakashi he was looking at me with eyes full of pity and I snarled.

"And then everyone either views you with hatred or pity again. Two things I HATE to see in people's eyes! I can't stand pity!" I shouted, getting back to my feet. Kakashi didn't reply. I snarled and shook my head. "You can put me in to your team all you want, but you'll never replace my first one." I snarled, and turned around and left. I went straight home, landed on my bed, and just sat there. Thinking. Eventually that night I fell asleep.

* * *

><p>I woke up the next morning, and I could feel that something was wrong, but I didn't know what. I got up and looked at my clock, and saw that it was noon. Damn, I must've been tired or something. I left my house after eating a breakfast about an hour after I left. I walked down the street, before Kakashi sped by me. He looked worried. He slammed in to my shoulder on accident.<p>

"What the heck?" I shouted, before growling and turned away. Kakashi's hand was suddenly on my shoulder. I growled and turned around to face him. "What?" I snarled.

"It's Sasuke. He left the village." I blinked and shrugged.

"Why do I care? Like I said yesterday, I'm not his friend." Kakashi sighed.

"You have to bring him back to the village." I sighed and nodded.

"Fine. I'll try I guess." Kakashi sighed and nodded.

"Ok, now go! I'll be right behind you." I nodded and then took off to the exit of the village. Why was I doing this? I didn't care about him and he didn't care about me. I stopped at the gate to the village. I sighed in annoyance. Why was I doing this again? Oh, that's right. Because I was a ninja of Konoha and it was my duty to help my friends, family, and fellow villagers. Bleh. Yeah, well screw you too! Ugh!

I channeled chakra in to my nose, caught Sasuke's scent easily, and chased after them. The sky roared as black clouds started forming in the sky, and I vaguely wondered what was going on. I shrugged and continued running. Eventually, when I knew I was getting closer to Sasuke, it started raining. I blinked before I leaped out of the trees, and found myself at a waterfall. There were two statues, one of the First Hokage and the other of the Madara Uchiha I believe. I narrowed my eyes as Kakashi leaped passed me and to help Naruto, who was laying in the water.

I sniffed the air, and darted across the water, following Sasuke. Finally, I could hear him breathing and walking up ahead. I sighed as I broke in to a tiny clearing, where Sasuke was.

"Sasuke." I muttered. He sighed and turned to look at me, his eyes void of any emotion.

"What are you gonna do, Koinu? Tell me you're desperately in love with me? Fight me and drag me back to Konoha?" He asked. I looked at him, not laughing at all and shook my head.

"No, I'm not. I just wanna know why you're going." I growled, and Sasuke smirked.

"You can drop the act, Koinu. I can tell that you want to leave too." Sasuke answered, and I chuckled once in surprise.

"So you figured that out, huh?" I asked, and Sasuke nodded.

"Why don't you come with me? Orochimaru can make us more powerful then we've ever imagined!" Sasuke said, his eyes alight with excitement. I shook my head.

"I'm not going anywhere with that snake. I promise you that. And I'll promise you something else too. If you go with Orochimaru, I'll kill you too." Sasuke stared at me with those now desolate eyes. We stared at each other for a few moments, before the bushes rustled behind Sasuke. I looked up and saw Kabuto appear. He looked surprised to see me, but he smirked.

"Well, well, well. Lookie what we have here. Do we have some sort of romance going on?" Sasuke and I snarled at the same time. Never. I looked at Sasuke one last time. I honestly didn't feel like fighting today.

"So you're going? With... Orochimaru?" I asked without emotion. Sasuke nodded and I sighed.

"Ok." I looked at Kabuto one more time. He pushed his glasses further up on his nose. I turned and walked the way I'd come. Why did I feel... weird? I didn't care about Sasuke that much I knew. I never have and never would. I was jealous that Naruto and Sasuke had had a battle royal. I wanted to fight Sasuke without somebody interrupting us. Maybe, finally, I'd be able to do that next time I saw him.

"Koinu." I froze in my tracks. That voice. That cold, calm voice came from behind me. I blinked and turned around, to find two people in black cloaks with red clouds on. I narrowed my eyes at Itachi.

"What do want, Itachi?" I asked coldly, and his face stayed emotionless.

"We came to ask you to join the Akatsuki." I stared at him for a few minutes. Akatsuki. A group of highly ranked criminals. All older than me. If I joined them, and they became my sensei, I could learn a lot. I smirked at the prospect.

"If I say yes?" I asked.

"If you join us you can't leave. You'll have to hunt down the Jinchuriki hosts, including Naruto Uzumaki. Could you handle that?" I stared at him. Why wouldn't I be able to? I didn't like Naruto at all! He was just some annoying brat. I looked at Itachi and nodded.

"I'm in."

"Good. Now follow us to our hideout, we'll explain more there."

I followed him without question, excited that I'd finally get the chance to fight people, and not be interrupted. I'd be challenged immensely here, and not have to worry about hurting anyone. And maybe, just maybe... I'd find my place here.

_Sorry to leave you, Motaroku, but I can't live in Konoha anymore. Hope you understand._

**A/N: And that's the end of Pre-Shippuden. Next Chapter will be Shippuden! :) Please Review!**


	16. Sand Explosion

**A/N: Remember, Koinu's 16 now! Well enjoy! Please review! ^.^  
><strong>

**Chapter 16:**

**Sand Explosion  
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"Koinu, get up." Itachi's emotionless voice resonated through the door. I was already up. I'd been up the whole night. I stared out my window, at the forest beyond. It was early. Like, three or four in the morning early. I rubbed my head and glared at my door.

"Already up, Uchiha." I answered. I stood up and went in to my bathroom, brushing my hair and putting in my blue contacts. Oh yeah, I wore contacts nowadays. Mainly just so that if I saw anybody I knew they wouldn't recognize me right away. I stared at myself in the mirror.

My hair was still a jaw length, pitch black. My skin was tanner, but not tan tan. My eyes were normally still yellow, but with contacts in they were navy blue. I wore navy blue, loose jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt. I yawned in the mirror, fogging it up, and walked back in to my room. I grabbed my headband, which now had a nice clean cut across it. I smirked and put it on, before sliding my Akatsuki cloak on, which was two sizes too big. I normally kept it on, seeing as how I'd added pockets and pouches in it, where I held scrolls, pills, and whatnot.

I yawned again, before walking out in to the hallway. I walked calmly down the hallway, taking my time. Finally it dumped out in to an average sized room. There were a few couches surrounding a rather large table. In the corner there was a little kitchen spot, where normally Sasori cooked. I never would've guessed that Sasori cooked, but he did. I flopped in to one of the couches, Kisami and Zetsu having some weird conversation. Itachi walked in to the room from the hallway on the opposite side of the room, and looked at me.

"Koinu, aren't you supposed to be meeting Sasori and Deidara?" I stared at him for a second in thought, before cursing under my breath and leaping to my feet. I ran down the hall that twisted and turned, until it started to get smaller. I dropped to my hands and feet and crawled out until I was in the middle of a bush. I pushed my way out, and welcomed the sunlight. I sighed and then bit the my thumb, doing a string of hand signs.

"Summoning Jutsu!" I shouted as I slammed my hand on to the ground. In a cloud of smoke a large cheetah appeared. His head reached my chest and his back reached my waist. He was just one of the many big cats I could summon. I was pretty sure I was on some loopy drugs or poison that Sasori made and used on me to prank me when I signed a blood contract with CATS. But, they turned out to be pretty useful. I leaped on to the cheetah's back, whose name was Chimpo.

"Chimpo, take me to Sunagakure. I need to meet Deidara and Sasori there." Chimpo snarled and nodded, before tensing up and running forward. I could've run to meet them, but it would have taken me forever. Chimpo was much faster than I was. He ran through the rest of the day towards Suna, and through the night. Finally early the next morning we arrived to Suna, at a large boulder blocked with a barrier that I was supposed to meet Deidara and Sasori at.

I brushed my ring, which was on my left pinky finger. It was a pale yellow, the color of the moon, and had the kanji symbol for 'pain'. I leaped off of Chimpo and did a few hand signs as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I channeled regular chakra through my right index finger and touched my ring. It began glowing, and I walked through the barrier protecting the rock, and straight through the rock itself.

I walked in to the pitch black room, and became the usual observer of extracting a Jinchuriki or a demon. I would only be able to help in the extraction once Orochimaru was dead. Which, it would have to be earned for me, because if anyone in the Akatsuki besides myself killed Orochimaru, I would kill them. Anyways, I sat in the room on the damp floor. In the middle of the room was a large statue. It was a head with a now open mouth and two large hands. On each finger (minus one) were each of the Akatsuki members. On the head were 7 closed eyes, and now two open ones. Gaara was suspended in mid air, surrounded by the statue's jutsu, with darker chakra going from Gaara's body to the statue's mouth, which was the demon being extracted from him. His skin was cracked all over, which I assumed was from the fight that it took to get him here. He was no longer screaming a bit, which meant he was almost gone completely.

I stared at Gaara's face, which was dying and almost gone. I had a flashback to back when they attacked Konoha. Having the demon sprouting from him had confused me until I'd realized it was a demon, but even then I didn't fully understand it. When Itachi attacked Naruto and I found out the Kyuubi was sealed in Naruto it made a bit more sense, but only after I joined the Akatsuki did it make complete sense.

"Complete." Pein's voice echoed around the room. I snapped out of my daydreaming, as the statue disappeared and the images of the Akatsuki members disappeared, with the exception of Deidara and Sasori. Deidara grabbed Gaara's body, which was laying on the ground, and dragged it to the middle of the cave, closer to the front though. He dropped it, and only then did I notice his clay bird. Deidara sat on top of Gaara's back, Sasori sitting next to Gaara's feet. I, however, sat down on Gaara's head-neck-shoulder area. Served him right. Claiming to have a worse life than me all those years ago. I smirked. Well, he was Kazekage after all, right? I did, however, have a family again. No matter how messed up we were.

Not too long afterwords, something hard slammed in to the boulder. It crumpled to pieces, and I stared at the blinding entrance as four figures darted in. My eyes adjusted quickly, and I smirked. One was some old hag. She wore a dark blue robe thing with tan covers on the top or something. Her gray hair was tucked underneath a hat she wore. The other figures, I all knew.

One was Sakura. She was taller, but she still had pink hair, a red sleeveless top, black shorts, and black gloves. Her headband was on her head, like a literal headband, but the cloth was read instead of navy blue. Another one was Kakashi, looking the exact same. The last one, was Naruto. He had by far, in my opinion, changed the most. He was taller by far, probably taller than me now. He wore an orange jumpsuit, but the top half was black, with thick black borders following the zipper and bordering the bottom of the jacket. His headband was now on a long black cloth, but he wore it the same.

Naruto's eyes were blood red. Hmmm. So he could control the nine tails? To an extent at least. He looked at me, and obviously didn't recognize me. However, he saw that I was sitting on Gaara's head, and Deidara on Gaara's back, and his face became one distorted with rage. He bared his sharpened canines at us, and roared shortly.

"Get off of him!" He shouted, and both Deidara and I laughed shortly.

"So that would be the Jinchuriki, hm?" Deidara asked, and I nodded.

"Yeah, that's him." I smirked at Naruto, who seemed slightly surprised that I knew.

"Gaara! Why are you just lying there? Hey, Gaara! What are you, deaf!" Naruto shouted, his voice deeper but still a nails-on-chalkboard voice. Maybe he ahdn't changed much.

"Naruto, stop. You know full well." Kakashi sighed. Naruto stopped yelling, and his face distorted in to mass sorrow.

"Yeah, idiot. I figured you of all people would know he's dead!" I snarled, my mouth curling in to a sneer of happiness. Sick, people would call me. I didn't care though.

"Who are you? You have a Leaf headband." Sakura demanded. I looked at her surprised, and smirked. Oh yeah, I was wearing contacts.

"Oh, right. I guess you guys _wouldn't _recognize me, seeing as how I have these in." I said as I bent my head down and took my contacts out, but lightly closed my eyes. I tossed the contacts in to my ninja pouch, and brought my head up, before slowly opening my eyes. Kakashi's eyes widened a fraction. Sakura gasped, and Naruto stared at me in shock.

"Koinu! What are you doing with the Akatsuki?" He shouted in agony. I smirked.

"Why do you care, idiot? It's not like any of you guys ever cared three years ago when it mattered." I snarled.

"Koinu! Come home, with us. To Konoha! We had so much fun at that festival with Pervy Sage, right before we started learning the Rasengan! Remember?" Naruto pleaded with me, tears welling in his eyes. I narrowed mine in confusion. Was he really crying over me?

"Yeah, I remember. I remember being thrown in to a bunch of crap because of you! I almost died for Tsunade! The Fifth Hokage! I lost my chance at killing Orochimaru then and there because of you and her." I growled. Naruto stared at me for a moment, before swallowing some lump in his throat.

"Why? Why did you join them?" He asked, and I shrugged.

"Nobody in Konoha cared anymore. I took care of the three Genin babies I was teamed with, fought for them, defended them. All the while worrying about myself. And what did they do? Outcast me. Treat me like I wasn't really there. Finally I could connect with Sasuke, maybe have some sort of friend. And what does he do? Run off with Orochimaru, the man I've sworn to kill. And Itachi Uchiha comes along after Sasuke leaves, and asks me to join the Akatsuki. Who was I to say no? I had no friends. Konoha wasn't helping me grow anymore. So, I joined them. They took me in, and I finally belong somewhere." I smiled sickeningly at Naruto, who looked pitiful.

He gulped. "But... the Akatsuki... they're after-they're after me." I sniggered.

"I know. I've helped them multiple times on how to best fight you." I informed them as I stood up. Naruto's face distorted in anguish. He then looked at Gaara, whose head I was still sitting on, and that anguish turned in to anger.

"Give him back." He snarled. "Give me Gaara you stinking-" He yelled as he ran forward, but Kakashi leaped in between us.

"Cool it. Charge in without thinking and you'll get us all killed." Naruto looked at me, and I could tell what he was thinking. I'd always pounded on him, hurt him a few times, but I'd never seriously injured him when I was on his team. Kakashi seemed to read him too. "She's an Akatsuki now. An enemy, remember that."

"I'll hold on to the body." Deidara piped up, looking at Sasori. "Since it seems that the Jinchuriki host is burning for it." Sasori narrowed his eyes. "I know this isn't what you want to hear, Sasori, but... I'll handle the Jinchuriki."

"Listen, our quota is one apiece. If I were you, Deidara, I wouldn't push my luck." Sasori growled. The two then began their usual arguing over whose view of art was better. Naruto got impatient and threw a large shuriken at Sasori, who deflected it with his metal tail without even looking. Finally, Deidara stood up, followed by my own standing up, and his bird swallowed Gaara's body, with the exception of one leg that hung out of its mouth.

Deidara must've said something to offend Sasori, because he lunged at Deidara with his metal tail thing. Deidara leaped on to his bird's back, and I followed suit, sitting closer to its tail though. We flew out of the cave, and Naruto ran out after us. He roared and leaped at us, his demon chakra propelling him forward. Deidara's bird jerked back. I grabbed on to the clay bird, sticking my fingers in to it to hold on. Naruto slammed in to the cliff side, throwing dirt and dust up in a cloud around him.

Deidara pulled out some clay and formed it in to a bird. He threw it at Naruto, who was still in the side of the cliff. It grew to about the size of a crow. It flew forward, but Kakashi leaped in between it and Naruto and threw a shuriken at it. Deidara smirked and did a one handed hand sign, and the bird exploded. The shuriken was thrown back at Kakashi, who deflected it with a kunai.

"You're not taking Gaara!" Naruto yelled as Kakashi landed on the side of the cliff, standing there effortlessly with chakra in his feet.

"You are quite the oddball." Deidara chuckled. "A Jinchuriki host is supposed to be sullen and misanthropic hmm? And this Gaara is no less strange. I've never seen a host so beloved before." Naruto's eyes widened in shock. I smirked. "To date we've destroyed two Jinchuriki hosts, not including him of course. But nobody tried to save them. Not their friends. Not their neighbors. Not a soul, hmm? In fact, their deaths came as a relief to some." Deidara chuckled, and I joined in. Naruto stared at me, and I figured he must be wondering how I could turn so cruel.

"Perhaps you can't ignore one of your own kind? You feel too connected to this pitiful creature, hmm? Well, anyway when I removed his one-tailed beast it was the end of Gaara. The point is you are doomed all the same." I stood up, and stared at Naruto, who returned the stare. He saw my cold eyes, and I figured he knew that I wouldn't try to help him.

"You filth... you're all dead." He growled. Deidara and I busted out laughing as his bird flew towards the left, and began flying away. I sat down and turned around, watching Naruto and Kakashi follow us.

We flew slightly over a smaller canyon-like place. There was a river at the bottom between two cliffs, with branches growing between and attached to the cliff walls. I watched my two old teammates follow us, bored out of my mind. I wanted to fight already! Naruto yelled things randomly at us, a little ways in front of Kakashi. Kakashi caught up to him and pulled him back, telling him to slow down. They started talking, but I could no longer hear them. Eventually, they seemed to be making a move.

A black hole like thing formed at Deidara's heart, seeming to want to drag the rest of his body towards it. It then shifted to his right shoulder, and down to his elbow. I growled realizing what it was because I'd dealt with Itachi for so long. I grabbed Deidara's left arm and yanked him down. He was finally able too, and the ocular jutsu canceled. Deidara stood up, and Kakashi did it again, though he was aiming for Deidara's head now. Deidara managed to move himself, but Naruto leaped up from the cliff suddenly with a clone, Rasengan in hand.

I smirked and made my own Rasengan, black with my dark chakra. Naruto's eyes widened, but I leaped in between Deidara and him, and slammed my Rasengan in to his. The air swirled around us, but Naruto was sent flying back. I smirked. Apparently my Rasengan was stronger. There was a sickening sliding sound to my right, and I looked in alarm to find the bird's head sliding off of its body. Apparently the head had been cut off by our Rasengan impact. I cursed under my breath, before both Deidara and I leaped off of the bird, and landed on branches in the trees beneath us. Naruto was already on a branch, but he created clones who caught the bird's head before it hit the ground.

"Gaara!" Naruto shouted as himself and two clones tore at the bird's head. Finally they tore the bird's head open, and Naruto was silent for a few moments.

"I'll take Naruto, Deidara." Deidara looked at me, as if wondering if I would turn against him. I snarled. "I hate them, Deidara. Hence why I joined the Akatsuki. I'll never go back willingly." Deidara nodded, and Naruto finally spoke up.

"Time for you to get hit." He growled.

"Yeah, whatever fox boy. Let's go." I answered, smirking at the back of his head. Deidara disappeared in a cloud of smoke, presumably to hide I guessed.

"You're too careless." I heard Kakashi sigh. I blinked as I felt a presence behind me, and turned to look as Naruto slammed his fist in to my left cheek. I flew off of the branch, Naruto following me. He created four clones, who grabbed my shoulders and feet, and then slammed me in to the ground and held me down. I coughed and watched a trickle of blood fall from my mouth, until Naruto slammed his knee in to my stomach. I grunted before he began wailing away at my face with his fists, until creating a Rasengan. He slammed it in to my stomach, and I disappeared in a cloud of smoke, replaced with a tree trunk.

I watched from my spot, concealed in thicker tree branches with thick leaves. Naruto sat there, motionless. You could feel the hatred radiating off of him though. A red chakra suddenly started bubbling around him, forming a fox cloak with one tail. I watched as he leaped on to another rock, and began searching for me as another tail formed. Suddenly Kakashi ran at him, and placed some weird tag on him. I smirked. This was my chance.

I leaped from my spot, and before Naruto could react I slammed my fist in to his cheek. He grunted as I landed and dug my fingernail in to his cheek, drawing blood. I leaped back and slid the blood across my right palm, and dabbed my thumb in to my left palm. I pointed my right palm at Naruto and shot a beam of my dark chakra. He leaped away, but the chakra twisted and chased after him. I smirked.

"It seeks your blood now." I muttered. Naruto's eyes widened until it hit him square in the chest. He grunted and fell back. I smirked, before suddenly Sakura and that old lady appeared beside Kakashi. I stared at them in shock. That meant... that... Sasori was... dead. How could that weakling Sakura kill him? That wasn't possible. I snarled and glared at her. Suddenly Neji, Tenten, Lee, and Gai appeared a ways off; Deidara halfway out of a bush. I pointed my palm out and aimed at Gai, who was closest to Deidara. I shot a beam of darkness energy at him, but Neji leaped in front of the beam and deflected it. I cut it off and smirked when Deidara managed to dart away and ran behind the bird, whom I was right by. He glanced at me, before taking a huge bite out of the bird. My eyes widened, and I watched as his body began expanding.

"Let me show you my ultimate art. It's an explosion!" Deidara laughed. I did a string of hand signs, knowing I wouldn't be able to get away quick enough. I held my hands out in front of me, and watched as a shield of dark chakra surrounded me in a small circle. Neji yelled for them to run, and they began running but it was too late. Deidara exploded, and I grunted as the force hit my shield, but was suddenly sucked back. I dropped my shield and spun around, looking at my old comrades, who looked at me.I glared at Kakashi, who had used his Mangekyo Sharingan to make Deidara teleport somewhere else.

Naruto's clones that held Gaara leaped down from the tree, and they also looked at me. I narrowed my eyes before Lee suddenly roared and ran at me. I raised an eyebrow, before ducking under his kick. I grabbed his leg and flipped him over, before getting to my feet and kneeing him in the chest. Lee grunted before Neji ran at me. I kicked Lee away and created another dark shield as Neji began trying to break through it and hit my chakra points. Sweat formed on my forehead, as it was rather hard to keep the shield up under so much pressure. I took a deep breath, before making the shield explode outwards. Neji grunted and flew back.

I sighed in relief only to have Tenten leap in to the air. She pulled out a long scroll and began touching it in random places. Where she touched it a special weapon would pop out. After she touched all spots she weaved the scroll around and the weapons all flew straight at me. I ducked and dodged under the weapons as best as could, earning a scratch or scrape here and there. I ducked as Lee's fist sailed over my head, before reaching up, grabbing his arm, and then throwing him forward at Tenten. They slammed in to each other, and fell over. I growled as Neji ran at me, but as he lunged forward I leaped back.

I bit my thumb and did a few hand signs before summoning Chimpo again. I leaped on to his back, and upon seeing the enemy he turned and darted away. I don't believe they chased after us, but either way we were miles away in a matter of minutes. I sighed and glared ahead.

"Alright, Chimpo. Let's head back to base." Chimpo nodded with a light growl, before turning to change course and darted forward. It sickened me that I'd had to run away from those stupid Leaf ninja, but I'd been outnumbered eight to one. Even if two of them had been an old hag and a stupid pink-haired girl. That thought rose another question in to my head. How had Sakura killed Sasori?

I blinked and kicked Chimpo lightly on the ribs. He snarled, but slid to a halt. I had to go get Sasori's damn ring, didn't I? I grumbled to myself for a minute, before sighing in annoyance.

"Go back Chimpo." I growled. Chimpo nodded and turned and ran back to the clearing we were at. He stopped behind a tree, and I glanced out to make sure it was empty. It wasn't, but it was occupied by Akatsuki members. I groaned and dismissed Chimpo in a cloud of smoke.

"What are you doing here with Tobi, Zetsu?" I asked, glaring at the annoying member who'd been trying to join us for a while now.

Zetsu shrugged. "He found out about Sasori's death as soon as I did, so he came with me. He found the ring, so he's a member now." I groaned, before Deidara walked in through a bush.

"Well, my taste buds do betray me! You're alive!" Tobi shouted. I sighed in annoyance, this guy got on my nerves a lot. Almost as much as Naruto did... but not quite that much.

"What happened to the Jinchuriki?" Zetsu growled.

"I've completed my mission, hmm?" Deidara replied, avoiding the question. I rolled my eyes, deciding I wouldn't answer either.

"A close one though eh, Deidara? But at least you're alright... or... perhaps not..." Tobi muttered. Deidara glared at him menacingly.

"Tobi, even the Buddha loses patience eventually. One more word and there won't be any question about your death." Deidara growled. Tobi gulped.

"D-death by b-bombing?" Tobi asked nervously.

"Death by **suffocation**!" Deidara yelled as he leaped forward at Tobi, knocked him to the ground, and wrapped his legs around Tobi's neck. I smacked my headband in embarrassment.

"You two are complete idiots." I muttered, walking back to where Deidara's clay bird had previously been. I pouted, because there wasn't a scrap of clay left. I then looked up, and spotted the clay head, where Gaara's body had been in. I leaped up on to the tree branch and pushed it off. I leaped down and motioned towards it.

"C'mon, Deidara. Let's get back to the base already." Deidara sighed and took a chunk of clay out before making another bird. He tossed it on to the ground and let it grew, before leaping on to its back. Zetsu and I both climbed on, but before Tobi could the bird grabbed him in its talons. Deidara smirked, before the bird took off in to the air, forcing Tobi to sit in its claws for the trip.

* * *

><p>Once we arrived back, the first thing that greeted me was the smell of freshly cooked food. I licked my lips in anticipation, before running to the counter which held our plates. I grabbed mine and began eating hungrily. Gradually everyone filtered in, and Kisame smirked at me, as I was the only one eating.<p>

"You do realize Hidan made this meal, right?" He asked.

I stopped with my fork less than an inch from my mouth, and threw my plate on to the counter, fork on it. I began hacking and trying to make myself puke. Hidan made it? What the hell? I mean, he could have poisoned it or anything! He had a sick sense of humor with that crap! I groaned mentally for being so stupid. Sasori used to make our food when he wasn't out, but now that he was dead someone else would have to make our food.

Hidan walked in, chuckling. The lights glinted off of his silver hair, and I growled. "I didn't poison it, Koinu." He laughed, and I looked up at him. He shook his head. "Wasn't in the mood to have Kakazu cut my head off today." I sighed in relief, and went back to hog my food down. Kakazu and Itachi walked in, and then Pein and Konan. I sighed as I finished eating, before flopping on to one of the couches. Pein finished eating after me, and then looked at Hidan and Kakazu.

"Hidan, Kakazu. I have a mission for you two. It's time to go collect the Nibi." I glanced up at the reference of the two tailed demon cat. Kakazu wasn't eating, and he nodded.

"Where does it reside?" Kakazu asked.

"In Kumogakure." Kakazu nodded, but Pein glanced at me. "I want Koinu to go too." I blinked in shock.

"Why me? I just came back from helping with one-tails." I asked stubbornly.

"Because you have the best tracking skills of the Akatsuki." I smirked proudly. "Plus, you need the experience." I rolled my eyes and stretched my arms out in front of me.

"So when do we leave?" I asked.

"In a week."

"Plenty of time." I muttered before leaping to my feet and going to my room. I was exhausted. I wasn't a morning person... I was more of a night person by a long shot. I walked to my room, took my headband, ninja pouch, and kunai pack off, and then climbed in to bed and went to sleep.


	17. Two Tailed Monks With a Surprise

**A/N:** Sorry I've been gone so long guys! I've had a bunch of school crap going on, but I'm back! This chapter is... weird I guess. I started it before I left, and finished it today. But I hope you all like it! :D

**Chapter 17:**

**Two Tailed Monks With a Surprise  
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The next week I dedicated to pure training. I sparred Itachi, as I normally did, but lost. I wasn't upset or anything though, I normally did lose to him. I decapitated Hidan once, only to have him go on a complete sacrificing frenzy which resulted in Kakazu cutting his head off again, and taking him away to calm down. I sparred Kisame next two days from the end of the week, earning myself being stuck in bed the rest of the week. Damn his chakra eating sword.

The day finally came where I had to leave with Kakazu and Hidan. I didn't mind traveling with them. Hidan was a bad-ass kinda guy and the two's bickering was hilarious. I came out of my room, my feet scuffing the floor. I rubbed my eye to find Kakazu and Hidan the only two standing in the room. I blinked in confusion and glanced at a clock that hung on the wall, and almost died. Two in the morning! DUDE! We weren't even going as far as I'd gone to get to Suna! Why two! I groaned and looked at Hidan and Kakazu pleadingly.

"Please tell me you woke me up at the agonizing butt crack of dawn so that we could take a nap after we walk for a while?" I groaned. Hidan laughed, but Kakazu stayed emotionless.

"No. Now come on." I groaned as we exited the base, and headed towards Kumo.

* * *

><p>Agonizing hours of walking later, we arrived at Kumo. My stomach growled loudly in protest as I took another painful step forward. I wore the normal rice hat on my head, as did Kakazu and Hidan. I moaned loudly and threw my hand over my stomach. Pleadingly I turned to look at Kakazu.<p>

"Kakazu, may we PLEASE get something to eat?" I asked. Kakazu stared at me coldly.

"After we get the Jinchuriki, then you can eat." I huffed in annoyance, before looking around as we walked in to Kumo.

"So, how are we supposed to find her?" I asked.

"Her name is Yugito Nii. Host to the Nibi, shouldn't be too hard to find her." Hidan muttered. His scythe was upside down and strapped to his back. I rubbed my eyes again and followed Kakazu and Hidan deeper in to the city. Nothing interesting happened and my stomach only grew hungrier. Was Kakazu crazy? I could have died from hunger! I hadn't eaten in a whole six or seven hours! This was pure torture! I slowed down as I heard people talking.

"Yeah, I heard Yugito was having a rough time with the Nibi lately. Bee said it was because it felt danger nearby." A man whispered to a lady next to him.

"Oh yeah, me too. Didn't she say she was going to the sewers to try and get it back under control?" I smirked and continued walking forward a few meters, not bothering to stop Kakazu until we were well away from those people. Finally I tugged on his cloak and stopped. He turned to face me, cocking an eyebrow.

"C'mon. She's at the sewers. Heard it from a few locals." I smirked. Kakazu narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but we began searching the streets for a sewage hole thing, that wasn't in broad daylight. We finally found one behind an abandoned house. Kakazu pulled the heavy stone grating up effortlessly, and Hidan leaped in quickly. I followed suit, and Kakazu also followed.

We stood in the concrete tunnel, silent. I didn't hear a single word or breath. I motioned to Kakazu and Hidan to be silent, before focusing chakra in to my ears and nose. I heard three steady heartbeats; Kakazu's, Hidan's, and mine. I sighed and channeled in some of Garou's chakra, heightening my senses even more. Then, I heard it. The uneven thumping of a heart that signaled someone working hard. I opened my eyes, stood up, and focused on that uneven beating. I channeled chakra out of my nose in to my feet, ran on to the side of the tunnel so that I wouldn't be running in sewage water, and ran towards the heartbeat.

Kakazu and Hidan followed, running on the side, same as me. We turned corners and finally reached a line of corridors where there wasn't water on the ground. We then switched and ran on the ground. We turned a corner, and slid to a halt as I spotted the Jinchuriki in the dim light. I channeled the chakra out of my ears, and smirked at her. I took my rice hat off, tossing it to the side as did Hidan and Kakazu. I never liked wearing those hats much anyways.

Yugito saw our cloaks, and instantly knew who we were. She gasped, before spinning around and darting away. We then ran after her, content on not leaving her without the mission being completed. Hidan unhooked his scythe, pointed the blades at the girl as he ran, before shooting them at her as she neared an exit of some sort. She leaped out of the way as she ran outside, but as we grew closer we realized it was where the sewage dumped out, though still underground. It was only lighter here because there were a few holes in the ceiling to filter light in.

Yugito slid across the water. Hidan's scythe dug its blade in to the ground, though he still held part of the handle. We walked calmly out of the corridor, smirking cockily.

"You've got some there, dude." Hidan complimented."Hmm... my attacks are the slowest in the Akatsuki and the least skilled. So I just can't hit anything seriously." He sighed.

"I see, so you three are from the Akatsuki then." She sighed, sweat formed on her forehead.

"You're the only one left, but really you aren't all that bad." Hidan said, pulling his scythe out of the ground and leaning against it.

"Hey, Hidan. This is the two-tails Jinchuriki. Let your guard down and you're dead." Kakazu muttered.

"No need to tell me that, Kakazu. I want her to kill me, just to get it over with. Seriously." Hidan said, glancing sidelong at Kakazu.

Kakazu shrugged. "Let's do this." I nodded and took a step forward, until Hidan interrupted me.

"Hold on there." There was a slight chinking as he pulled out what I assumed was his circle necklace with an upside down triangle in the middle. "First I need to offer prayers to God." He then kissed the necklace. I sighed dramatically and rolled my eyes.

"There you go again with those stupid prayers." Kakazu growled.

"Hey, I don't like 'em either! But the dogma of my faith is strict about this stuff!" Hidan growled.

I rolled my eyes and looked forward as Yugito began talking.

"Heh. You probably think you've cornered me here, but really I led you this way!" She shouted as she made a hand sign. Suddenly bomb tags placed on all entrances and exits to this area exploded, caving them in and blocking all of our chances from getting away. "Now that I know you're with the Akatsuki I can't let you go."

"Oh no, it seems we've been trapped, fellas." I whined sarcastically.

"No problem, things are actually better this way." Kakazu said, turning his pitiless eyes on Yugito.

"I swear on my own name, Yugito Nii of Kumogakure that I will kill you!" The girl said defiantly in a battle cry of sorts. I rolled my eyes as a short bark of laughter passed between my lips. Yugito looked at me sharply.

"Do you not believe me?" She growled, and I smirked as I looked at her.

"Yeah, actually I don't. This would all be much easier if you could, ya know... just roll over and let us win?" I asked, knowing her answer before she said it. A whisper of a laugh passed through her teeth, echoing down the empty sewers.

"Get real!" She shouted as she slammed her hands in to the ground and blue chakra swirled around her, forming at her ankles and spreading like wild fire over the rest of her body. But it didn't stop like Naruto's fox chakra would, it continued until all that was left was the form of a giant two tailed chakra cat. Its paws were almost as tall as Kakazu or Hidan, its claws as long as an arm. Its fangs where needle sharp and could easily rip a throat out if you allowed it to.

"What's with this Jinchuriki? Its turned completely into its Bijuu!" Hidan growled as he pulled his scythe out. The cat lunged down at us with one of its paws, and I tensed to leap away but Kakazu reached above us and stopped the paw with brute strength, claws barely scraping past us. However the Bijuu put more force behind its paw and less than a second later crushed Kakazu in to the ground. As smoke billowed around the cat's paw I landed next to Hidan, who had also leaped away. As the smoke cleared it revealed the cat up to its arm in the ground. It opened its mouth and fire began forming in its mouth, forming in to a fire ball. I leaped away as it shot the fireball, slamming Hidan in to the sewer wall and causing it to break in to the open air.

I coughed as smoke entered my lungs, before being able to breathe normally as the smoke cleared away. I was antsy. Call it the dog inside me wanting to chase the cat. But first things first: Get Kakazu out from under that cat. I cracked my neck, before zipping towards the bijuu. It saw me move, and as I leaped to attack its shoulder, it reached around with its other paw to smack me away. I managed to duck under a claw, and grabbed it and pulled myself on to her paw. I ran up her arm towards her head, but was forced to leap off her arm as she yanked her arm away.

The cloak sleeves blew up my arm as I leaped towards the Bijuu, revealing the dark Rasengan that was formed in my hand. I lunged forward, but the cat yanked the arm that was in the ground out, and brought it out in front of me. My Rasengan slammed in to the cat's arm, and caused enough force that blew me back, and forced the cat a few yards away. I grunted as I slammed in to the ground, landing on my feet but forcing my legs to buckle so that I rolled a few feet so my legs didn't get jammed.

I heard Kakazu growl as he pulled himself from the pit he'd been in. I got to my feet as one of the cat's paws flew at me. I leaped away in surprise, but one of the claws scratched my left leg. I grunted as the forced jerked my body back, and slammed roughly on to the ground, my leg burning as if it'd been on fire. I took a deep breath of air, trying to catch my breath, and opened my eyes as an arm came flying down at me. I briefly wondered what the hell Hidan and Kakazu were doing that allowed this Bijuu so much attention at me, but I tried leaping away, and realized I was too slow now from my leg energy. I was about to call on Garou to help out, but I turned slightly to see the cat's arm flying at me, and then the paw slammed in to my head. I crashed on to the ground, head first, and laid there until darkness swept over me.

* * *

><p>I groaned as I finally came to, my eyes still shut. I had a horrible head ache, but I slowly sat up and opened my eyes, only to groan as the light seemed to burn them from my eye sockets, and fell back to lay on the ground. I groaned before opening my eyes again, to find a canopy of trees hanging over me. I sat up slowly, and found Kakazu and Hidan sitting on two tree stumps around a camp fire. I rubbed my head, before glaring at them moodily. I waited a few moments, knowing that they knew I was awake, before becoming irritated.<p>

"Well? What happened?"

"Simple. You got knocked out-"

"Your ass got whipped by the Bijuu and we had to clean up your mess!" Hidan then fell in to a fit of laughter. I growled threateningly, but he continued laughing.

"Zetsu came and took the captured Bijuu from us, and now we're on our way to collect our next target." Kakazu continued.

"Target? We have to capture another Bijuu?" I asked, standing up when I noticed two fish cooking by the fire. I walked over to the fire and took them, seeing Hidan and Kakazu eating their own fish. I greedily began eating as Kakazu shook his head.

"No, a monk with a very high bounty on his head." I rolled my eyes. It was always money with Kakazu. I nodded and finished eating my fish, throwing the sticks away.

"Alright then, let's go get this shit over with." I stood up, and blinked a few times as my vision whirled, but it quickly went away. Kakazu and Hidan put out the fire, and then we traveled through the forest, before coming out on a path and traveling the path for about fifteen minutes, and then we reached a clearing that housed a large temple. I read the writing on the temple, which read 'Temple of Fire'.

Hidan said something to Kakazu, who replied, but I honestly wasn't paying attention. I was too pissed at myself for letting a chance at the Bijuu get away from me. Next thing I knew Kakazu slammed his fist in to the gate, making it crumble to the ground loudly. We walked calmly in to the temple, only to have monks swarm in to the main room. I heard a few exclamations as to the cloaks we wore. We walked forward to stand in front of a large and wide staircase, where monks stood in a large pile. They separated as a monk with a gray sash tied around his waste. Hidan laughed lightly as the monk descended the stairs.

"Looks like we've got ourselves another high and mighty to deal with." Hidan muttered.

"According to our wanted list the reward on his head is high and mighty as well... a whole 30 million coin." Kakazu growled. Hidan and Kakazu bickered for a moment on the concept of money, and I was snapped back to reality when the monk roared.

"I know not of your purposes, but return from whence you came!" He ordered.

"That would only take me a couple of hours at best." I laughed, Kakazu and Hidan were silent, but the monks examined me further, and saw my headband. I heard a few gasps from some of them as the horror that I was a traitor to my own country settled in. I smirked slightly, before Hidan and Kakazu rushed forward at the monk, and I followed right at their side.

I channeled a slight amount of chakra in to my feet, which made me slightly faster than Kakazu or Hidan. I growled and leaped forward, before lunging forward with my fist. The monk ducked underneath it easily. I kicked out with my right foot, only to have the monk move out of the way. I spun around in mid air and did another kick, only to have his hand clap over my leg, stopping me in my tracks. He pushed back using barely any apparent strength, but it forced me to go flying back.

I growled as I flew back, but did a back flip and pushed off of the wall with my feet, and landed softly on the ground in front of me. I looked up to find Hidan and Kakazu engaged with the monk, and noticed that Kakazu's skin was much darker. So he'd put his earth spear skin defense up huh? Seems this monk was rather strong in the taijutsu field then.

I darted forward, intent on engaging the monk again, until I spotted someone out of the corner of my eye rush at me. I didn't look, only ducked under their punch and leaped away as they tried kicking me. I snarled and landed, turning to face them, and stopped. We stared at each other for mere moments, but it felt like hours. The man had slightly tanned skin, the skin of a man who traveled and trained in the sun normally. He had red hair that was cropped to the middle of his neck, and dark brown eyes. He wore a pair of loose black pants, and a white shirt and blue overcoat. He also wore a blue sash around his forehead. Even though he had aged a bit, I still knew who he was right off the bat.

"Watiko-sensei." I whispered, hardly able to hear it myself. Watiko looked at me, and as soon as he saw my eyes recognition dawned in his.

"Koinu..." He muttered, and genuine sorrow filled his brown eyes. "Why?" I blinked and looked away from him for a moment, and then turned back.

"Because I was sick of Konoha. Always being treated like a demon and monster, I was always the freak! When Itachi found me, and I went to the Akatsuki, we were all freaks. I had found a true home, where nobody could judge me. Being with the Akatsuki, people are forced to recognize us! Yes, we're all freaks, but we're all stronger then the rest of you who judged us because of it!" I growled.

"I never treated you differently..."

"You being the one out of a million other jerks in Konoha." I snarled, crouching down so my palms laid on the floor.

Our eyes locked, and he seemed to understand that he wouldn't be able to convince me to come back. He sighed in understanding, before readying himself for battle. And like we did so many times before when he trained me before the Chunin Exams, we commenced in to a fight. I lunged forward and called on Garou, his chakra flowing through me as my nails and teeth grew sharper.

I sprinted the distance between us, covering it in mere seconds. Watiko waited for me, and then shot his hand out in front of him as I leaped at him, rearing my right fist back behind me. He shot a beam of darkness out of his palm, but I quickly used my left one to shoot one that connected with his. There was a loud pop as the beams connected and exploded, forcing me to fly back a bit and Watiko to slide back.

As I landed I did a sting of handsigns, before holding my palms straight out in front of me. "Fire Style: Fire Stream Jutsu!" I shouted and opened my mouth, streams of fire flying out from all three positions. Watiko leaped out of the way of my fire streams, as I expected. I smirked before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Watiko's eyes widened slightly, before looking up as I snarled and dropped from the ceiling.

My cloak flapped away from my arms, revealing them cloaked in shadow chakra. I slammed my fist down, but Watiko managed to barely dodge out of my way. The chakra scraped him, causing a splotch of skin rubbed raw on his cheek. My fist slammed in to the ground, digging in to the earth up to my shoulder. I cursed under my breath as my arm was stuck. It wouldn't come out no matter how hard I yanked on it.

I looked up as I heard something, to see Watiko's fist sailing through the air towards my head. I concentrated before creating a wall of darkness in front of his fist, catching it and throwing it back. I surrounded my arm in darkness, before yanking my arm out of the ground. I used the momentum from pulling it out of the ground, and swung forward at Watiko, who was still off balance from when I threw him back. He pushed off of the ground and leaped back, doing a back flip and then landing.

I heard shouts of pain come from where Hidan and Kakazu were fighting the monks, but I forced myself not to think about it as I fought Watiko. We fought like that, trading blows but never actually earning a clean hit on the other. It felt just like it had years ago. Sparring him and never seeming to be strong enough. I growled in frustration. Suddenly, an image of a boy with emerald green eyes and brown hair popped in to my head. From where, I couldn't tell you. I thought of Motaroku almost right after, but the boy before hadn't been Motaroku.

Watiko took his chance and seized it fully. His foot slammed in to my chest, sending me flying back. I grunted as I slammed in to the ground a little ways away, before sliding to a halt. I groaned and looked up, to find Watiko doing a stream of hand signs. I pushed myself to my knees, bracing myself as a wave that I could tell was strong just from looking at it. It was a wave of dark chakra. I took a deep breath and quickly forced a shield of dark chakra up. It was in front of me and curved at the top to cover me from overhead, but left the back open.

The wave hit my shield like a charging bull. I grunted from the force I exerted to keep my shield up. I felt a gnawing at the back of my head. Garou trying to break through. Trying to take control of me. I snarled and pushed him back, wanting to win this fight on my own. If I always relied on him I'd never be able to fight on my own. If something happened and I lived if he was extracted from me, I needed to know that I could win without him.

I cursed mentally, wondering why I was weak all of a sudden. First with the Nibi, and now with Watiko. I knew I was stronger then this! I growled and took a deep breath, before pushing my shield out against the wave. It flew back, pushing the wave aside like it was nothing. Watiko grunted in surprise as the wave pushed him back, forcing him to smack in to the wall. I darted after him, creating a Rasengan in my hand.

I was about three yards away as Watiko regained his balance on his feet, and he spotted my Rasengan. He couldn't react however, and I smirked.

"Checkmate." I growled right before I slammed my Rasengan in to his stomach. Watiko screamed in pain as I pushed him up against the wall, and it crumpled underneath the force and weight, before being blown back entirely. His body flew back as my foot slipped and I fell to the ground. I blinked as I heard more crumbling, before realizing that the whole temple was coming down. I created a bubble shield of dark chakra as a section of the roof slammed in to it, barely creating it in time to save me. I waited as the whole temple crumbled, before dispelling the shield and Garou's chakra and climbed my way out of the ruins. I glanced around.

Bodies of monks were sprawled everywhere, and Hidan was sitting in his worship circle thing, his body stuck through with the circle. Kakazu picked the monk up, his earth spear skin gone. I blinked and looked forward, towards where Watiko's body would be. I walked forward, and found a spot in the grass outside of the ruins. Blood soaked the grass, and a trail of blood led from it. So he'd gotten up and ran huh? I had the desire to chase after him and kill him, but I decided not to. I'd wait until our next encounter.

I was content with the fact that I'd finally beaten him.


	18. Sealing the Monster

**Chapter 18:**

**Sealing the Monsters  
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"Koinu, let's go." I looked over towards the duo I was teamed up with for now, and nodded. Kakazu grabbed and held the dead monk's collar and hauled him on to his shoulder. I crossed over the debris, trailing after the two as they crossed in to the forest, and began walking away from the fire country. I walked a few feet behind the two, hating myself for reminiscing about the old days.

I reached in to my cloak and pulled my black crescent necklace out from under my shirt, holding the crescent in my palm. I stared at it silently, thinking about Motaroku. I wondered if he'd be mad at me for leaving Konoha, but at the same time I believed I wouldn't have left Konoha if my team was there. Part of me was glad about that, and the rest of me wasn't. No matter how much we fought and bickered, the Akatsuki was a family. My family. We were all freaks together.

"Here, you carry him for a while." Kakazu growled to Hidan after we had walked for a few hours.

"Hey now, just a minute! You're the one yelling about the money, so shut the hell up and carry him yourself." I dropped my necklace back in to my shirt, content on not letting these guys out of everybody realize I had emotions about anything other than pain, anger, or anything of the likes. I looked up to find Kakazu looking at Hidan murderously. To the point where if it was anyone but Hidan they'd be dead in about a second.

"Hey now, what's with the eyes?" Hidan grumbled.

"One of these days, I swear I'll kill you Hidan." Kakazu growled, shifting the monk on to his other shoulder.

"For the hundredth time, that's not something to say to me Kakazu." Hidan yawned. We walked for a while longer, setting up camp once the sun had set. I went out and managed to catch a few rabbits, and we cooked them over the camp fire, eating quickly and smothering the fire. We then settled down, each of us using our cloaks as a blanket. I stared in to the starry sky, unable to sleep. I sighed as a shooting star shot across the sky, not even bothering to wish for anything. Nothing I wished for would come true. Finally I rolled over and managed to slip in to a light sleep.

It was a sneeze that woke me up the next morning. I leaped to my feet before my eyes were even open, and when I opened them I realized it had been Hidan. I glared at him as he snickered, before glancing at Kakazu as he walked in to the clearing with three fish. We cooked them quickly, before grabbing them, putting the fire out, and heading back for the trail.

We traveled again for hours, Kakazu carrying the monk's corpse still. I guess I would've carried it if he'd asked, but he hadn't so I wasn't going to say anything. We finally reached a small town, and Kakazu and Hidan headed for a men's restroom. I stopped at the entrance as they walked in. Hidan turned and looked at me once he realized I wasn't following.

"C'mon, Koinu." I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Nah, I'm gonna go sit in the forest, meet you guys when you come out." I said, pointing back the way we'd come. They shrugged and nodded, and I walked in to the forest. I walked a few meters in, and leaped in to a tree, sitting there and waiting. It was nice to let my feet take a break from the constant moving. I was barely ever off of them nowadays.

I'd only been waiting about ten, maybe fifteen minutes before I had a feeling in the back of my head that something was wrong. I sighed in annoyance, jumped down from the tree, and walked towards the edge of the forest. I peered through from behind a bush, to find two guys stabbing something through Hidan. Kakazu hadn't been out yet. I blinked when I saw the two other guys that were with them. One was Shikamaru, using his shadows to stop Hidan in his tracks, and the other was Asuma sensei.

Suddenly Kakazu appeared behind Shikamaru and caused a distraction, causing Shikamaru's shadow to break it's hold on Hidan. I watched as Hidan made his ceremonial circle thing out of his blood that had splattered the ground. I smirked and sat on my heels, deciding to wait the fight out and watch unless my presence was needed. It seemed that they didn't know I was here.

I watched as the two strangers from Konoha I didn't know stood in front of Shikamaru with Asuma, before Asuma and Hidan started fighting with their weapons. Hidan managed to get a cut on Asuma's cheek, before licking the blood off of his scythe. Asuma made a pileup of ash and blew it up at Hidan. When the ash cleared, Hidan's skin was pitch black with white lines along his arms, legs, and face. His cloak was torn at the top by his right shoulder, down to his chest.

I smirked when I noticed that Asuma's right arm was burned. Hidan stabbed the black stick that he carried around with him in to his left leg as Asuma leaped at him with his weapons, and as a result Asuma fell to the ground and slid a few feet before stopping and looking up at Hidan. Hidan raised his black stick thing up, pointing it at his heart, and screamed something I couldn't understand. But he stopped before he could, and I realized Shikamaru had caught him with his shadow again. I narrowed my eyes. I'd have to be more observant. I could've stopped the shadow from ever reaching Hidan if I'd been paying attention.

I watched as Shikamaru stood up, and began moving sideways, slowly forcing Hidan out of the ritual circle. I smirked slightly. He was sharp, being able to pick up on that so quick. Once he was out of the circle, Asuma threw a ninja star which split Hidan's ear, and left his perfectly fine. Suddenly the thread of shadow that connected Shikamaru and Hidan exploded in to tons of thread, which leaped off the ground and stabbed through Hidan, making him perfectly still. He couldn't move an inch.

Asuma channeled chakra in to his knife, before approaching forward. He then proceeded to slice through Hidan's neck, sending his head flying away. Shikamaru withdrew his shadows, and I smirked. The idiots. Kakazu was calm as the four of them turned to face him. Suddenly Hidan's head started screaming at Kakazu, which probably gave the four Konoha shinobi heart attacks. Kakazu disappeared and reappeared beside Hidan's head, picking him up by his hair and standing straight, a suitcase in his other hand. I assumed the suitcase was full of money.

As the four shinobi tried to think of a way to get out of there or whatever, Kakazu darted at Asuma and slammed his foot in to Asuma. He then went over to Hidan's head, put it against his neck, and one of his black threads sewed his head back on to Hidan's body. One of the Konoha men created a large shell sword or axe of something. He then ran at Kakazu, the other one running with him.

The man with free hands spread a field of water out, and as Kakazu went to run on it his feet were caught. It seemed the water was sticky. The man with the weapon leaped and brought his weapon down towards Kakazu, but Kakazu unstitched his arms and them out towards the men. Both hands clapped around their throats, holding them back. I watched as Hidan tried attacking Asuma from behind with his scythe, standing in his circle. Asuma ducked underneath but the scythe dug itself in to Hidan's body. Hidan smirked, before stabbing himself through with the rod, right in his heart. Shikamaru screamed as Asuma sat on his knees, before coughing and letting blood spatter from his mouth on to the ground in front of him.

Asuma collapsed on the ground and the color faded from Hidan's body. I smirked. They were almost done. Shikamaru glared at Kakazu and ran at him, but Kakazu flicked on of the men and yanked him towards Shikamaru, forcing the two to collide. Suddenly crows surrounded both Kakazu and Hidan, forcing them to release their captives or whatever you would call them. The crows receded, and I smirked when I spotted Ino and Choji among the reinforcements, along with two other men I didn't recognize. Suddenly there was a ringing in my head. I flinched slightly before sighing.

_We're going to seal the Three Tails, hurry up and get back here. This takes priority! _Pein's voice rang through my head. I nodded and looked up, waiting to see what Hidan and Kakazu would do. They disappeared in two clouds of smoke, and I disappeared after them. We appeared in a clearing, where the two settled down on a large rock. I sat down at the base, and we all concentrated and appeared in the dark cave where the statue that held the Jinchuriki spirits was kept. Hidan and Kakazu landed on two fingers of the statue, as I stood on the floor while the other members joined up. I sighed and leaped on to the far left pinky, finally being allowed to take place in an extraction. We began extracting the three tails, and about halfway through Pein began talking.

_As soon as the Sanbi is done we'll seal the Nibi too. This'll take about six days. Be prepared._

_Six days, damn long! This is stupid. _Hidan complained.

_You're one to talk Hidan. _Kakazu growled.

_We were almost able to massacre those guys from Konoha and show those heathens the existence of the Jashin religion!_

_Konoha isn't heathens. They view the previous generation as God and practice the 'Will of Fire'. _Pein reprimanded. _But that could just be said it's only a justification for battle. _

_You bastard! Are you saying that to make fun of me! _Hidan shouted.

_No, I have no intention of making fun of the reason you fight. I'm in the same boat as you. The reason for war doesn't matter. Religion, beliefs, wealth, land, grudge, love, or just because... No matter how ridiculous the reason it becomes a reason for war. The wars will never cease, the reason can come after it... the instinct demands battle._

_Nobody's listening to you talk on and on! I have my way of doing things and I have my own goals too! I have no intention of giving everything to this group. _Hidan growled.

_As long as you belong to the group Akatsuki you will work for it's goals as well. If the Akatsuki's goals are met, then your goals will be achieved quickly as well._

_Hmph, no matter how cool you act the goal of the Akatsuki has just become gathering money. Just like Kakazu, the reason to fight that I hate the most!_ Hidan barked.

_That's right, our immediate goals are of money, but the real goal of the Akatsuki lies elsewhere. For that goal, we need a large amount of money. _Pein explained.

_Next to Koinu and Tobi I'm the newest member, so I've never heard anything from you about it! Sneaking around when I'm not there..._

_Are you pouting? _Pein chuckled lightly. _Fine, I'll tell you about it now. _I was all ears now, I'd never been told the true intentions of the Akatsuki either.

_The Akatsuki's final goal will be met by taking it step by step. There's a total of three steps. The first is money. After that, we use the money to create the first real mercenary group the shinobi world has ever seen. _Pein explained.

_Huh? But that's the same thing the ninja villages do now. _I piped up. _You take a mission, do it, and collect the money. You'll be the leader of a small, wannabe village._

_You couldn't be more wrong. _Pein sighed. _Let me explain what it means to be a village within a country. Those with large powerful shinobi villages can be said to be in the shinobi business. Because so much of their money comes directly from those villages by taking missions within and beyond their country, the ninja earn large sums of money. Enough to merit saying that, they're the lifeblood of the country's economy. So for these countries to remain financially stable, they need war. But nowadays most missions amount to small skirmishes. Large, destructive wars have all but disappeared. As a result, many shinobi are losing their place as the smaller countries try to cut expenses. These shinobi, who lived only to fight and risked their lives for their village, are abandoned. The five great countries are in no danger, both the countries themselves and their villages have many clients, some within the country and others not. However, that doesn't work for the smaller ones. The costs to maintain a shinobi village are about the the same in both times of war and peace. If those smaller villages reduce their forces too drastically, they won't be able to survive if a war breaks out._

_What we are doing will change everything! _Pein continued. _No allegiance to any country! Mobilizing only when necessary, using only the most suitable shinobi we'll build up our forces with those small villages and countries, and create an army of 'warbringers'! In the beginning, they'll take any mission for very little money, and as word spreads we'll start using the Bijuu to manufacture our own wars! Ones as big or small as the market requires! Before long, we'll have a monopoly on war!_

Nobody spoke, I don't even know if anybody breathed while Pein finished his story.

_Even the biggest villages will eventually collapse, and the five great countries will be forced to use Akatsuki. And then, we will have achieved our true goal. _He raised his right hand up, as if to catch something out of the air. _The third and final step... we will be in control of the world. _

Nobody really talked much after that. We loud mouths were thinking it over. Hidan growled a few times about how this was taking forever, how it was so long, etc etc. Kakazu and Hidan started bickering after Hidan had mentioned something once, but finally one of the empty eyes on the statues formed a pupil, signaling that we were done with the three tails.

_Good. Next is the Nibi._ Pein informed us. I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. The sealing process took more patience than anything. Zetsu moved the body in front of the statue, and we immediately began sealing the Nibi too. We were stuck there, standing for what felt like forever. Eventually days later the sealing was complete.

_Now the Nibi has been sealed too, there's only three left... Dismissed. _Pein ordered.

_Finally! _Hidan barked.

_We're going to Konoha, Hidan. You too, Koinu. _Kakazu growled.

_You three, if you're going to Konoha a word of advice, hmm? _Deidara suddenly piped up. _There's a Jinchuriki there called Naruto Uzumaki if-_

_I believe I know enough about Naruto to survive, Deidara. _I snarled at the mention of Naruto.

_We're going. C'mon, Hidan. _Kakazu muttered as they both phased away. I looked across the cave to Itachi, who was staring back at me, before phasing away myself.

I leaped to my feet as soon I felt my body again, and stretched my arms out over my head.

"I had to sit still for six freaking days! I'm gonna go on a rampage man!" Hidan groaned in annoyance.

Kakazu turned and began walking, away from the bounty center. Hidan looked at him quizically.

"No sense in going back to where we said we would go and getting ambushed." I informed him, trailing after Kakazu. I reached in to my ninja pouch as Hidan muttered something and caught up with Kakazu, pulling out my contacts and quickly putting them in. I could feel a fight with Konoha people coming soon, I didn't want anyone recognizing me if I could help it.

We walked for only about ten minutes, reaching the edge of a burnt part of the forest. The trees were bare and rough looking, as if someone had torn branches off of them.

"Koinu." Kakazu suddenly murmered.

"Mhm." Yes, Kakazu. I was aware of the shadow that was trailing after me. I leaped away and on to one of the small branches of a nearby tree, Kakazu and Hidan leaping away too as the shadow sped forward and tried to branch off. I leaped away again as a kunai sped towards me, landing on a separate branch on a different tree. There was an explosion from the spot the kunai had hit. Seems there had been an explosion tag attached to it.

I watched as Kakazu and Hidan were still being chased by shadows, before Shikamaru leaped down in between Kakazu and Hidan, and threw two kunai down at full force at them. I growled when I saw the tags attached to them.

"Guys, dodge them!" I shouted, leaping off of the branch towards Shikamaru. However when they landed, they hadn't been kunai. They were Asuma's old chakra knives. But, the tags weren't exploding. I landed on the ground a few feet away as Shikamaru landed between Hidan and Kakazu.

"Those things I threw were chakra blades. It absorbs the user's nature of chakra and becomes the origin of the jutsu for the user. So in short, I was aiming for your shadows all along." Shikamaru informed them. He stood up and looked at me. "However, I didn't know about you." I smirked and stood up straight, as I'd been crouched down before.

"I know you're there, Kakashi. Ino and Choji too, don't try hiding from me." I growled.

However, they were stupid enough to hide from me. Shikamaru extended his shadow out to Hidan, and made him attack Kakazu. However Hidan shouted for Kakazu to dodge, and Kakazu did so by detaching his arm with the threads and sending it underground, only to have it resurface and take the chakra blade out of the ground.

"Alright!" Hidan shouted. I smirked at Shikamaru's face. He hadn't expected his shadows to fail. However, Hidan was still captured and he was forced to attack Kakazu again. Kakazu backed up as he dodged Hidan's attacks, until his back hit a tree. Suddenly Choji leaped out from a branch behind the tree, and surrounded himself in his hair, making it needle sharp and spinning.

I aimed a palm at him, before shooting a beam of darkness. It hit Choji and forced him to fly back in to the tree, off course of Kakazu. He broke through the tree and fell somewhere behind it. I darted forward and slammed my foot in to Shikamaru's side, but he blocked it. I didn't care though, it had served it's purpose. Hidan was no longer trying to kill Kakazu, though their shadows were still attached. I noticed Kakazu had activated his earth skin. He was ready to take hits if he had to.

I went to lunge at Shikamaru again, but there was a loud cracking sound as someone broke through the tree and stabbed Kakazu where his heart would be. I growled as I leaped away from Shikamaru to get a better look. It was Kakashi. Using his stupid Chidori. Hidan shouted in surprise and probably some form of fear.

"Can't be... From behind me without even a presence." Kakazu grunted.

"Your jutsu to harden your body, from the seal you used earlier it was an earth jutsu." Kakashi explained.

"You saw through the speed of my seals... and a chidori of this magnitude... that's it you're-" Kakazu was cut off.

"Earth is weak against Lightning... you weren't compatible, and therefore this is the end." Kakashi growled. Kakashi ripped his hand out from Kakazu and turned to Hidan as Kakazu fell to the ground on his face.

"One thrust to the heart, huh! Don't be getting killed so instantly! Stupid." Hidan growled. Kakashi turned to Hidan.

"You're next!" He said as he created another Chidori. I snarled and created a Rasengan as I leaped in between Hidan and Kakashi, meeting his Chidori with my Rasengan. There was an explosion from the forces of our jutsu, but I held my ground as did Kakashi. I smirked.

"Now don't go forgetting about me, Kakashi!" I laughed, because I knew he knew who I was. Kakashi glared at me, before Kakazu suddenly appeared in front of him and kicked him back, in to a giant tree.

"Alright, let's hurry up and finish this!" Hidan shouted.

"That's my intention." Kakazu growled. Kakazu took his cloak off, throwing it to the ground to reveal the four masks that were in his back, one of them destroyed. He roared as the four masks flew out of his back in a mass of the black threads of his. Hidan looked down as Shikamaru's shadow slipped away. We both smirked. Hidan cracked his neck as he held his scythe in his left hand.

"I can finally move." He sighed."So, Kakazu and Koinu, let's kill them." I nodded, staring intently at Kakashi. Kakazu's four minions surrounded the three of us, masses of the black threads with simple masks as faces. They were pure monsters. I smirked.

"I want Kakashi." I smirked.

"Jashin please watch me! I'm gonna go all out! Really seriously! I'm gonna drag out their innards!" Hidan roared crazily. Kakazu's monsters roared, but the one with the broken mask fell to the ground and melted slowly. It was already dead, from Kakashi's earlier Chidori.

"No, Koinu. Kakashi's mine. Stay out of our way too." Kakazu growled.

I snarled. "Fine, I'll help Hidan out."

"I don't need your help!"

"Well I'm not gonna just sit this one out!" I shouted.

"You mean like you did last time!" Hidan shouted at me.

"Shut the hell up!" I growled, turning and slamming my fist in to Hidan's face in the blink of an eye. Hidan snarled, before looking over at Shikamaru and Choji.

"Fine, just don't get in my way."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Actually, Kakazu. Let's do this with the usual." Hidan said, a sadistic smile rising to his face. I growled in annoyance. I wasn't a permanent team member of their's... so I didn't know what they meant by the usual. Guess I was gonna sit this one out. Atleast for now. Kakazu thought for a moment, and then nodded. Hidan laughed lightly, before leaping away and darting at Kakashi.

They both leaped in to the air as Hidan slashed upward with his scythe, before one of Kakazu's monsters appeared underneath Hidan. It positioned its face before opening its mouth as Kakazu muttered: "Wind style: Pressure Damage!" The monster produced a large gust of wind, that caused an explosion that blew both Kakashi and Hidan away. I growled as the wind whipped back around us, closing my eyes and holding my arms up to block any dirt or anything.

Kakazu turned away from the explosion to face Choji and Shikamaru, so I did the same so I could watch. One of the other monsters opened its mouth, and began charging up as lightning crackled in its mouth. The lightning flew from its mouth in a loud crash it blew towards Choji and Shikamaru. "Lightning style: False darkness." Kakazu muttered.

Suddenly Kakashi appeared in front of them and held his hands out, using his own Chidori with both hands to nullify the attack. His gloves were shredded from the force of the lightning attacks. His chest guard and headband were also missing from before. Hidan calmly walked up and stood next to me, his scythe resting against his shoulder.

"You're the fist one we haven't killed using those steps, Kakashi Hatake..." He laughed.

"You saw through it with the sharingan... Then how about the next one?" Kakazu growled as he made a hand sign. His last monster opened its mouth from where it was standing right next to me. I backed up a bit as Kakazu muttered: "Fire style: Intense Head Pain."

Suddenly a wave of fire exploded from the monster's mouth, and spread out in front of us and flew towards our opponents. They were forced to dart away, like scared deer. I laughed as the sense of the hunt overcame me. Hidan darted after Kakashi as the fire settled down, clashing in mid air with his scythe against Kakashi's kunai. As the two separated Hidan laughed.

"You're good. Seriously." He smirked.

"Kakashi sensei! You okay?" Choji shouted as him, Shikamaru, and Ino leaped in to the area behind Kakashi.

"Yeah." Kakashi muttered.

"Their teamwork is flawless." Ino cooed in awe.

"The two men work together perfectly, yes. But the girl, who you might know as Koinu, is just an add on with their team. She doesn't know the full extent of what the both of them can do." Kakashi informed them.

"Hey, Hatake! I do have ears, ya know!" I snarled, my teeth and fingernails sharpening as I took a little of Garou's power to begin the fight.

"Wait, you mean that's Koinu! The girl who beat Shino and Choji in the Chunin Exams?" Ino shouted, all three of them looking at me more closely.

"Yes." Kakashi answered simply.

"Koinu, get out of here." Kakazu growled. I blinked and snarled, before turning to glare at Kakazu.

"Why the hell should I?"

"They obviously have reinforcements coming. Just go sit out in the forest until they show up, so that we have the element of surprise." Kakazu muttered. I sighed in reluctance but nodded. "Make sure you're hidden well." I leaped away quickly, running for about five minutes straight just to put distance between me and them, before stopping and leaping in to a tree to stay off the ground. I mumbled to myself a bit in annoyance. I always missed out on the action. It's a load of bull shit!

It was only like 10, maybe 15 minutes until I heard this loud, piercing sort of screeching sound. I practically jumped out of my skin from the shock, before landing on the ground underneath the tree. I realized it must've been the reinforcements. I darted back towards the clearing, hearing the screeching sound end and start twice more, before I finally reached the edge of the clearing.

All I saw was a flash of orange as whoever it was slammed something in to Kakazu, before it exploded and a large sort of dome of energy spiraled around them, blocking them from view. There was a blast that followed it, and I threw my arms up over my face to protect it, before looking up as it left. I heard Kakazu scream, and as I looked up he was falling from mid air, in to a large pit that the blast from whatever jutsu it was left in the ground. My eyes widened as Kakazu didn't move again.

My head whirled from where I was to see who exactly had stopped Kakazu. I saw the spiky blonde hair and instantly knew it was Naruto. I clenched my teeth and fists together, my nails digging themselves deep in to my palms as they grew sharper from rage, my teeth doing the same. Choji helped Naruto sit up as Ino proceeded to use some sort of healing jutsu on him. So three were incapacitated really. Kakashi was weakened from the fight. All that was left was some Konoha ninja I didn't know, but guessed was just as good as Kakashi. I watched as Kakashi slowly began approaching Kakazu, and watched as he formed a Chidori. So Kakazu was still alive.

"NO!" I roared as I leaped out from cover, and slammed my foot in to Kakashi's shoulder, before landing and crouching over Kakazu. My palms sat on the ground, nails digging in to the earth as I sat on the balls of my feet over Kakazu, careful not to touch him. Kakazu coughed.

"You... idiot... there's eight of them... and... only one... of you." He hacked.

"There's eight?" I muttered back, quickly counting who I saw and only counting five.

"The other three... are... fighting... Hidan..."

"Hidan's dead." Shikamaru's voice suddenly spoke out. I looked passed Kakashi and spotted the figure, standing smugly on the rise of the crater we were in. I clenched my teeth tightly in anger. They'd taken Hidan out too! But that was impossible! He was literally invincible!

"Go, Koinu." Kakazu growled.

"No." I growled and glared at Kakashi, before leaping at him. My claws dug in to his stomach, but barely breached his skin before he kicked me away. I snarled and bared my teeth at him.

"Koinu! Stop, please!" I heard that annoying voice shout. My head snapped over to glare at Naruto, who was now standing and looking at me. He looked surprised, and... reluctant? Why was he reluctant? The man I didn't recognize walked up next to Naruto, put his hand on his shoulder, and nodded as Naruto looked at him. Naruto sighed before closing his eyes, and opening them to reveal two blood red pupils. I smirked as I noticed his claws and teeth getting sharper. Were we about to have a demon fight?

Oh this would be fun.

**A/N: So yes, the title is weird. But in case you were wondering I said monsters referring to Hidan and Kakazu, sealing refers to the tailed beasts being sealed by the Akatsuki, and I put them together to play around with how they'd been beat. Anyway hope you enjoyed! ^.^ Reviews are appreciated! :D**


	19. Demons Clash and Demon Tears

**Chapter 19:**

**Demons Clash and Demon Tears  
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Naruto snarled and Kakashi leaped out of the crater, leaving us space to fight. I picked Kakazu up, and leaped away, placing him against a tree so that he was out of our way, at least for now. I then turned back and leaped back in to the crater, smirking up at Naruto evilly. I chuckled loudly. Naruto glared down at me, and I raised my eyebrows and held my arms out by my sides.

"Come an' get me Uzumaki!" I laughed. He roared and actually obliged. I laughed as he ran at me, knowing it would be hard for everyone else to watch us fight, but it looked like he was running normal from my demon eyes. I leaped over him, before slamming my fist in to his back and sending him flying forward. Naruto growled and spun around, glaring at me. I sighed.

"C'mon, Uzumaki. You aren't going all out." I appeared at his shoulder, smirking. "Remember, I'm not a 'friend' anymore." I whispered in to his ear, before backhanding him across his chest.

Naruto grunted as he fell back, but disappeared in a cloud of smoke. He slammed his foot in to my back, knocking me in to the dirt but I rolled on to my back and slammed my feet in to him as he came flying down at me, sending him flying over my head and rolling over my back and on to my feet. Naruto flipped and landed on the ground, skidding a few yards before stopping.

We glared at each other, before Naruto created a plain old Rasengan. I raised an eyebrow. Had he really not added anything to it by now? Not even the slightest little thing. He was either pathetic or he was taking a trip down memory lane. But, I wasn't gonna do that for him. I created a Rasengan myself, but created it with my dark chakra. I smirked and ran at him, my hand with the Rasengan trailing behind me as Naruto did the same.

I growled as I slammed my Rasengan in to his as we met each other, and there was a loud whistle kind of sound before the air around began swirling, until it exploded and sent us both flying back. I growled as dirt flew in to my eyes, blinding me. I grunted as my back slammed in to the ground, before Naruto's hand clamped over my throat. I rubbed my eyes for a second longer, finally clearing them before opening my eyes and glaring at Naruto. Already. ALREADY. I was pinned down by this loser!

Naruto sighed and stared at me, his eyes pleading. "Please." He pleaded, and I knew what he wanted. He wanted me to go back to Konoha. I snarled.

"Never." I growled as I reached up, placed my hand on Naruto's chest, and channeled lightning through my hand and in to his body. Naruto roared in pain and toppled off of me, and I quickly got up as he coughed and spluttered in the dirt. I growled in annoyance. I'd never make it out of here if I stayed. I might be able to beat Naruto, but I couldn't handle Kakashi and them alone.

Suddenly I heard chirping, and turned as Kakazu roared and was then cut off as the chirping stopped. My head spun around, to find Kakashi holding Kakazu up with a hand through Kakazu's chest. He was dead. I clenched my teeth, fighting back a torrent of fury. I turned and darted over Naruto, before running in to the forest. I could sense some of the other Konoha ninja following me, but I didn't care.

Eventually, I sensed that they stopped following me, and I wondered why until Itachi was suddenly running right next to me. I growled in warning, telling him not to talk to me about it. We finally reached the hideout, and I walked inside and went to my room immediately. I threw off my cloak, and walked in to the bathroom connected to my room and glared at myself in the mirror. I was a mess.

Dirt covered almost every inch of my face, and my hair was a wreck. My eyes glared back at me, a bright yellow with a small amount of purple and black swirling around them from Garou's anger that was bubbling inside of me. I roared angrily at myself, and slammed my hands down on to the sink, before sighing. Why did I always let that idiot get to me! Every time we fought, something happened that made me have to leave. I always felt like I couldn't beat him though, and that was the worst part. I rubbed my neck unconsciously, before stopping.

I moved the neck of my shirt down and positioned myself so that I could see my curse mark in the mirror. I sighed, before shaking my head. No, I was long since past mourning over my old team. I had a new team now, and I had to focus on protecting them, seeing as how people seemed to be trying to hunt us, rather then the other way around. I pulled my shirt back up, and decided to go to sleep. I'd start massive training tomorrow. I needed to work my body passed my limits again.

I walked slowly out of the bathroom and slipped my cloak on, before sliding it on and then laying in bed. I fell asleep almost instantly, darkness overwhelming me.

I was asleep maybe for three hours before my neck erupted in pain. I screamed in pain as I rolled off of my bed, slamming on to the ground and clutching my mark. What was going on? I hadn't felt the mark act up like this since I'd left Konoha. Hell, I'd basically ignored the damn thing! I hadn't even used it to my advantage! The mark felt like it was literally melting my skin off, and I knew I was screaming so loud my throat would be a wreck afterwords.

I was dimly aware of Itachi rushing in to my room, Kisame right behind him. Kisame clutched his sword in his hands, and I watched as Zetsu melted from the floor in the corner of the room as Kisame entered in. Itachi knelt down next to me, placing his hand on my forehead as I managed to stop screaming, and settled for clenching my teeth together in pain.

"She's sweating like crazy." Itachi muttered, before sliding my cloak off of me, and throwing it on to my bed. He grabbed my hand, and tried prying it off but I growled in protest and resisted. It was a mental thing, apparently I felt that if my hand was there the mark would burn less. Itachi sighed before literally ripping my hand off my neck and examining the mark. He narrowed his eyes, and I groaned as the pain seemed to intensify.

And then, as suddenly as it had come, the pain stopped. I unclenched my teeth and went limp, waiting for the pain to return. But, it never did. I groaned and sat up, looking at Itachi and knowing I looked pitiful. I wiped my sweat-laden forehead with my arm, before standing up as Itachi did the same. I flicked my hand, motioning for them to leave, and went back to sleep as they did so. I'd deal with whatever that had been in the morning, not right now.

* * *

><p>The next morning, I woke up and walked past everyone I saw, straight outside and sat in the main clearing we used to train. I sat down on a rock, and stared at the ground between my feet. I rested my arms on my legs, and looked at my hands. I let memories wash over me, but they were from the power I'd felt when I'd let Orochimaru's curse mark take me over. I wondered how strong I could be if I let it take me over again.<p>

I sighed, and decided to test it out. I closed my eyes and began concentrating on Orochimaru, hoping that would trigger the curse. For me, it did. Slowly the mark began stinging, until it was a constant pain. I groaned before waiting it out, and feeling a tug at my stomach. I allowed myself to be reeled in from the tug, the pain slowly subsiding until finally it was nonexistent. I opened my eyes and looked at my arms as the mark spread over my body, and I could feel the power coursing through me.

I smirked and stood up, before turning and slamming my fist down in to the rock I'd been sitting on, crushing it instantly. I howled in joy. I'd discovered another method of power I could use in a fight. It'd only taken me three years! Go me for idiocy!

So I trained the whole day, using jutsu and hitting targets, pushing my body to its limits. I created one last Rasengan as my body was trembling, my legs threatening to give out. I slammed it in to a tree and dug through, the tree snapping in half and falling to the ground. I groaned and placed my hands on my knees, the curse mark still active as I gasped for breath. The sun was starting to sink over the horizon. I was about to create another Rasengan, before I heard footsteps.

I spun around, almost collapsing from the sudden movement, until I saw that it was Itachi. He looked like he was contemplating something, so I knew something had to be up. I stood up straight, using every fiber of strength that I had left just to stay standing. Itachi looked at the curse mark that had spread over my body questioningly, but he didn't ask about it. Instead he cut straight to the chase.

"Sasuke's killed Orochimaru."

The curse mark receded suddenly. I stared at Itachi wordlessly, before looking to the ground and clenching my fists tightly. No. I'd been beaten in the race. My knees gave out but I used the force as I fell to slam my fist in to the ground, before roaring in anger. Dammit! I glared at Itachi, and sighed.

"I'll kill Sasuke." I snarled. Itachi looked at me wordlessly, and I wanted to stand up but couldn't. I took Garou's chakra and stood up then, and turned away from Itachi, continuing to train. Eventually he left, and it was only after I'd used up almost all of the chakra Garou had given me that I went back to the base.

So it was like that. I trained like crazy for the next few days, Itachi sparring me everyday. With the curse mark, I was actually able to hold my own against Itachi, landing hits. It made me confident in my abilities against a Sharingan user. One morning I went to go find Itachi to spar with me, but he was with Kisame in the main room. He looked at me as I entered the room and I sighed, knowing he was going somewhere.

"C'mon, Koinu. You're coming with us." I narrowed my eyes questioningly, wondering where we were going but Itachi shook his head. "We're going to get a Jinchuriki, but you won't be helping. You'll be waiting until after we capture it."

I nodded and followed them out of the base, not even bothering to put contacts in. It didn't matter anymore. We traveled towards some place, which I was realized was Iwagakure only when they made me wait outside of the village. I waited in the neighboring mountain area for a few hours, until they arrived back with the body of a man. Itachi nodded for me to join them back as they traveled towards some other place. I looked up in to the sky as dark clouds began forming and blanketing the sky in darkness. I looked up as we reached a sort of cliff, and stared at the sky as we stopped.

"It's about to rain." Kisame sighed.

"It looks like a big storm is coming." Itachi said to the sky as rain fell from the sky and splattered on our faces. Wind roared and forced our cloaks to billow around us.

"Let's wait this out under a tree, can't let the body get too cold." Kisame growled.

"Right." Itachi nodded.

"We should be hearing from Pein soon anyway." Kisame said. I grabbed the body off of the ground as we headed in to the forest under a tangle of tree branches, waiting the rain out. I dropped the almost dead man's body on the ground and sat on a tree branch, staring at the bark of the tree. Kisame and Itachi began talking about the Jinchuriki, and I was only half listening. I was too preoccupied still thinking about how Sasuke had apparently killed Orochimaru.

Suddenly I heard the normal ringing in my head as Pein summoned us. I didn't even wait before meeting in our normal place with my chakra being or whatever you wanted to call it.

_You're late. _Pein growled.

_We just caught the Jinchuriki a few moments ago. We had to take a few extra precautions to make sure he didn't get away. _Kisame explained.

_Good, it looks like everyone's here. _I glanced around. Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, Tobi, Pein, Konan, Zetsu, and myself were the only ones remaining. I sighed, before looking up as we took our positions on the fingers of the statue and began sealing the four tails. Once we were finished Deidara sighed.

_So what next? _He asked.

_What do you mean? _Pein asked in reply.

_Do we go after Kakashi and the Nine-tails brat? Or Sasuke Uchiha? _

_Oh, let's just forget about it then. I mean we're done with our missions! _Tobi laughed.

_Gimme a break. I still owe the nine-tails brat a good punch in the face, and Kakashi blew my arm off. And since I was supposed to kill Orochimaru too, I have a beef with Sasuke._

I snarled loudly, the snarl echoing through the cave as I glared at Deidara. every head turned to face me. _YOU were supposed to kill Orochimaru! I think you're mistaken. _I roared. I had made it clear from my first day that if any of them killed Orochimaru if I was still alive that I'd kill them. Orochimaru was supposed to have been my kill.

_Whatever, Koinu. Nobody here was ever going to allow you to kill Orochimaru. _Deidara growled before disappearing after calling Tobi after him. I growled threateningly.

_Better tell Deidara to stay away from me, Pein. Or else he won't live after seeing me. _I growled before disappearing.

As I entered my body I continued to stare at the tree branch I sat on, even as Itachi and Kisame returned also. However they later went back. I figured they had been sent to make sure I didn't try something stupid. However I just sat on the tree branch. I wasn't numb feeling it was more of a 'what do I do now?' feeling. I couldn't go back to Konoha, nor did I want to go back. I couldn't go kill Deidara without being a traitor. Eventually, the two returned. This time I tore my gaze away and looked at Itachi calmly.

"Deidara's dead. To Sasuke." Itachi muttered.

"But, Sasuke died too." Kisame added after a few minutes of silence from Itachi.

And then I was pissed. The one thing I could go and kill to prove that I could've killed Orochimaru was dead. I looked at Itachi, who was passive as ever.

"Let's get going." Itachi muttered, standing up. I sighed and leaped down on to the ground next to Itachi. We then began heading to... some place. Eventually it started pouring down rain. I don't know how long it had been, I was completely numb to time as I was still trying to figure out what to do now. We stopped under an overhang of rock to get out of the rain for a little, but Itachi was standing in the middle of the rain.

"We shouldn't stay out here for too long." Kisame muttered. I stared at Itachi, more than ever wanting to know what went through his mind. "Look, I'm not sure what you're thinking, and given how ruthless you are, it's strange to say this... but from here, it looks like you're crying." I squinted my eyes to get a better look and saw that Kisame was right. It did look like he was crying. "It's certainly a shame about your little brother. Now you're the sole member of the Uchiha Clan."

"No." Itachi suddenly answered.

"What?" I asked suddenly. What'd he mean 'no'? Sasuke was dead! End of story!

"He's not dead yet. And besides, the storm has passed." Itachi answered, looking up at the sky. I blinked, and a ray of hope sparked inside me. I could kill Sasuke now! That was my answer, and that was what I would do. We began traveling then, and soon ended up at some old hideout I guessed. I looked around, wondering where we were.

We were on the top of a mountain that had a long spiraling path coming up the sides of it, until you reached the top where there was a large building. I looked up at the sky, before turning to Itachi to ask where we were, until I saw the door. There was the sign of the Uchiha clan there. I was confused for a moment, before realization sparked in my head.

"You're gonna bring Sasuke here... aren't you?" I asked as I stood there when he opened the doors, refusing to go in until I got answers.

"On the contrary. He's on the way here." Itachi answered, turning to face me.

"And he wants to kill you."

"I would assume so, yes."

"You aren't going to let me interfere, are you?"

"No."

"Damn you, Itachi Uchiha!" I shouted, my eyes wide in anger. "Every chance I get and you destroy it like it's nothing!"

"Stop your whining, Koinu." Itachi ordered as he turned and began walking in to the building.

"Why should I? I deserve the chance to beat Sasuke! You already had your chance! You could've killed him all those years ago! It's my turn!"

Itachi suddenly spun around and I couldn't help but meet his eyes as they were wide in... something. It wasn't anger, but at the same time something was there.

"You will listen to me, Koinu Hashitaki!" I flinched at how commanding his voice sounded. He really was serious about this. "You will stay out of this fight, no matter what happens." I bowed my head in defeat. Even though I'd been able to hold my own against Itachi lately, I knew I couldn't kill him. I leaped on to the top of the building, sitting down against a concrete post sticking out of the roof.

I stared at the sun, wondering what the hell I was gonna do now... for what felt like the millionth time in the past few days. It wasn't long until Kisame came out and approached me.

"C'mon, Koinu." He ordered lightly. He must've known how touchy I was right now. "We have to go greet our guests." I got to my feet and followed him, not really paying attention.

As we ran, I became more alert, until we saw a four man squad not too far off, but I couldn't make anything specific out. We were right on the edge of a nearby town, and I squinted my eyes and channeled chakra in to my eyes, and snarled. It was Sasuke and his lackeys. I growled in anger. This was my chance to fight Sasuke! Here and now.

"Koinu, no!" Kisame roared, grabbing my leg and pulling me down from the branch I was on. I grabbed for the branch, but missed and slammed on to the ground. Kisame unshouldered his sword and pointed it at me. "You will NOT fight Sasuke." I snarled in anger, but stood up in defeat and once again followed Kisame. We ran across buildings until Kisame zerged ahead. He leaped on to an electricity pole directly in front of Sasuke and his team, and sat there with his sword resting on his shoulder.

"Sasuke, if you would please continue on by yourself. Itachi would appreciate it if the rest of us waited here." Kisame explained as I landed on the ceiling next to him.

"No problem. I only formed this team to make sure no one interfered when I finally found him. This works out perfectly." Sasuke smirked, before looking at me, and the smirk was wiped clean off of his face. I smirked, memories of the first time we met suddenly came rushing back. Me kicking Naruto's ass easily, Sasuke being the first one who wasn't freaked out by me.

"So I heard you killed Orochimaru." I smirked, glaring at Sasuke, who glared right back.

"So?"

"I thought I made it clear a while ago he was my kill."

"You were too slow, mutt."

I snarled, and tensed to go, but Kisame swung his sword in front of me, and shook his head as I looked him. I glared at Sasuke, and some girl who was with him that I hadn't noticed until now coughed loudly.

"Uhm, who are _you_?" She asked me. She had magenta hair, and wore a purple coat thing and short black shorts with a pair of long black ninja sandals on. She also wore a pair of black glasses. All in all, she reminded me of Sakura.

I snickered. "What, did you miss Sakura, Sasuke? That why you pick this bitch for a teammate?" The girl shouted something that I didn't pay attention to, before Kisame cleared his throat loudly.

"Yes, well, Sasuke... Itachi is waiting." Sasuke nodded, before looking at me one more time.

"Naruto and a bunch of leaf ninja are trailing us. They aren't far behind in case you want a little action." I smirked. I'd be able to take my anger out on Naruto. And if I was really lucky, Sakura too. I nodded, before Sasuke leaped away. I knew Itachi would kill him, so it was just a matter of how long I'd have to wait until I fought Itachi myself. That thought actually made me... sad. Itachi had been the closest thing to a brother to me since Orochimaru killed my team. Sure we'd fought, and I tried to beat him in our sparring all the time. But he'd brought me to the Akatsuki, he'd given me a place to feel somewhat comfortable in. He'd given me the closest thing to a family anyone could.

I sat down as Kisame talked to one Sasuke's lackeys. Something about a fight. I decided I'd wait for Naruto and them to show up before fighting them, seeing as how I wasn't going to tire myself out. While Kisame and his friend started fighting, I wasn't paying attention. Then, it started to rain. I glanced over towards the mountain, to find a huge lightning bolt shoot down from the sky and smack the mountain, and made the mountain crumble to pieces.

I reacted without thinking. I ran at top speed at the mountain, not caring that Kisame was screaming after me not to do anything. When I neared closer, I saw the beginning of Itachi's Susano'o. I wasn't close enough to do anything though, I was too far away. By the time I was almost there, the Susano'o had disappeared, and black flames from the Amaterasu had caught on to nearby trees, starting a wildfire. I figured it had been because Itachi had won, but when I showed up, Itachi was falling to the ground right next to Sasuke.

"ITACHI SENSEI!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, managing to land next to him and caught his body before he fell to the ground. I was kneeling on the ground, next to a standing Sasuke. I didn't even care that I'd called Itachi 'sensei'. It'd been the first time I had ever called him sensei, and it would be the last while he was alive. I stared at Itachi's dead eyes, before glaring up at Sasuke, who stared back at me.

"I swear I'll kill you." I snarled, before Sasuke's knees buckled and he collapsed and fell to the ground unconscious.I looked down to Itachi's body, and for the first time in years tears spilled out of my eyes and fell on to his body. I hadn't cried in years, but now I was. And I didn't care. I began sobbing silently, mourning that my sensei and friend was dead.


	20. Falcon and Wolf

**Chapter 20:**

**Falcon and Wolf  
><strong>

I looked over at Sasuke's unconscious body and glared at him. I wanted to kill him so much, but it was a coward's way to kill someone. Especially since now he was the only one I could kill to know I could have beaten Orochimaru and Itachi. I jerked my head around as I heard someone land on one of the destroyed pieces of building, and was surprised to find Tobi.

"I didn't know you were alive." I said, wiping my face even though it was raining.

"And I didn't know you actually had feelings." He countered. I stared at his orange swirling mask, before looking away and back at Itachi's body. "You're too slow." He suddenly said. I looked at him questioningly, until Zetsu morphed out of the ground near us.

"Well excuse me for not being able to move at the freaking speed of light." The aloe vera grumbled as he appeared, head only which was encased in the plant on his head.

"Did you make sure to record the whole thing while you watched?" Tobi asked.

"Relax, I got everything." Zetsu answered in a rougher, eviller sounding voice.

"I think I will. I'll relax and enjoy the viewing later." I flinched slightly. He actually wanted to watch how Itachi had died? I had to admit, I was curious too. But I didn't want to watch my sensei die again. Oops, second time I'd called Itachi 'sensei'.

"But for now we need to get Itachi's corpse and leave immediately." Tobi said, glancing over at Zetsu. Quickly I slid Itachi's ring off and dropped it in to one of my hidden pockets, before looking up at Tobi as he leaped down. He grabbed Sasuke and threw him over his shoulder, before Zetsu's head appeared next to me.

"Gotta take him, Koinu." He said as he popped his plant open and grabbed Itachi's body from me. I watched as Zetsu dragged him under the ground until they were both gone, before standing and looking at Tobi. Tobi looked at me, seeming to be battling with some thoughts before suddenly he grabbed a fistful of my jacket.

"What the hell's your prob-" And then suddenly he started disappearing in a swirl, dragging me with him. I shouted out in surprise before I disappeared along with him. A few moments later, we were standing in the middle of a cave hideout. I didn't know where we were, because it wasn't the Akatsuki hideout. I glared at Tobi, who only went down a hall and opened up a door. I followed him in, to find him laying Sasuke down on a bed roll.

"Where can I sleep?" I asked.

"Door across the hall. Bed's already ready." I nodded and walked across the hall, throwing the door open and slamming it closed behind me. There was a square hole in the wall, supposed to be a window, that looked in to the middle of a large clearing, surrounded by rock wall with more rectangle holes. This was a HUGE base. Why hadn't we used it as our main one? I shrugged and looked in to the clearing, to see the bones of some animal. I looked up, to find a crescent moon staring down.

* * *

><p><em>"Well damn, he didn't hesitate long, huh?" I chuckled, and Sasuke smirked in reply, before blinking and looking at me questioningly.<em>

_"When he meant dark chakra?" He asked. I smirked and nodded._

_"Watch with your sharingan if you don't think it's true."_

_"Whoa." He muttered, his sharingan disappearing. I shrugged._

_"Yeah, it's cool. But, nowhere near as cool as the sharingan." I laughed, and Sasuke laughed along._

* * *

><p>I shook my head. Why had I thought about the one time I'd ever heard Sasuke laugh around me? I shook my head and flopped down on the bed spread in the room, before going to sleep. I slept without a single dream, which was good I guess. At least the events of that day didn't haunt me in my sleep.<p>

I opened my eyes slowly, sunlight creeping in through the square hole in the wall. Once my eyes focused, I looked outside to see the sun barely scraping over the... hide out. Yeah, let's call it that. I popped my neck and looked back at the door that led to my room, making sure it didn't move as I climbed in to the square hole, before leaping out.

I was pretty high off the ground. I hadn't really realized it until then, but I was. I didn't care though actually. I waited until I was only a few yards above the ground, before shooting a beam of dark chakra at the ground, slowing me down. I released the attack and landed softly on the ground. Not exactly a quiet escape, as the ground now had a three-foot-deep hole in it, and it had been loud, but oh well. I didn't care if Tobi knew I was leaving. I had to wrap my head around shit. So I deserved a day away from people.

I looked around, and growled in annoyance. There was no way to just run down a path and leave, I had to run up the side of the clearing with the large animal bones in the middle. I channeled chakra in to the soles of my feet, before turning and sprinting up the side of the wall. I passed next to one of the square holes, but a hand unexpectedly shot out and wrapped around my ankle.

I'm ashamed to admit, it caught me completely off guard. I slipped, and fell back. Thank god the hand held on still, though my back and head crashed in to the wall and I dangled there from the hand that held my ankle. I groaned and looked up, my arms dangling underneath my head as the person stuck their head out. Of course. It was Tobi. I glared up at him, finding that his cloak was off. He wore a black long sleeve shirt that he wore under his cloak and a pair of black pants, but no cloak. His mask was still on though.

"The hell?" I groaned. I was a little dizzy from when my head hit the wall, it wasn't the most pleasant thing to do.

"Where are you going?" Truth was, I didn't know.

"Out. Don't worry, I'll be back. Eventually." Tobi stared at me for a moment, and nodded. Then he let me go. I growled in annoyance before channeling chakra in to my hands, and slamming them in to the wall. I slowed down for a few moments before completely stopping. I got back to my feet and started running up the wall again, until I leaped over the edge and landed on the ground. I was right on the edge of a forest surrounding the pit.

I turned, and with no destination or intention in mind, I wandered away. I let my mind basically leave my body, and let it roam around inside my head wherever it pleased.

* * *

><p><em>"Koinu." I froze in my tracks. That voice. That cold, calm voice came from behind me. I blinked and turned around, to find two people in black cloaks with red clouds on. I narrowed my eyes at Itachi.<em>

_"What do want, Itachi?" I asked coldly, and his face stayed emotionless._

_"We came to ask you to join the Akatsuki." I stared at him for a few minutes. Akatsuki. A group of highly ranked criminals. All older than me. If I joined them, and they became my sensei, I could learn a lot. I smirked at the prospect._

_"If I say yes?" I asked._

_"If you join us you can't leave. You'll have to hunt down the Jinchuriki hosts, including Naruto Uzumaki. Could you handle that?" I stared at him. Why wouldn't I be able to? I didn't like Naruto at all! He was just some annoying brat. I looked at Itachi and nodded._

_"I'm in."_

* * *

><p>I blinked as water dripped in to my eye, and looked up to see water sliding off of leaves in the tree over head. It must've rained last night or something. Or maybe it was dew. The water spilled out of my eye, and slid down my cheek. I brought my right hand up, and wiped it away, before looking through the tree branches at the sun. Goddammit. Why did I all of a sudden care about Itachi?<p>

And then it hit me. It wasn't all of a sudden. I'd started caring about him ever since one of our first training missions together.

* * *

><p><em>I cursed under my breath as I sprinted down the street, the town's guards at my heels. There were three of them, and I knew I wouldn't be able to take 'em on my own. Suddenly one of them threw their chain at my feet, which wrapped around my ankles. I grunted as I tripped and slammed in to the ground, but I wasn't about to give up. I rolled to my back and shot a beam of dark energy at them, hitting one of the other guards and sending them reeling back. <em>

_I grabbed the chain that the man held that was wrapped around my ankles, and yanked hard. I'd hoped the man would hold on, but he was smart and released it. It worked either way though I guess. I untangled my feet and jumped up, throwing the chain at the men and distracting them for the moment. I turned and sprinted again._

_I hated myself for running like a coward. But I didn't know what to do. And then I was done. Done running. I turned around as I heard the men pursuing me again, and sprinted straight at one of them. He was genuinely surprised as I grabbed a kunai from a pocket on my black Akatsuki jacket, and slammed it underneath his right arm. He grunted, but upon seeing something behind me he smirked. I turned my head to find the other man drawing a sword, and swinging it at me. At the height it was going at, it would decapitate me... and it was going too fast for me to block it. I didn't close my eyes. I didn't cry. I didn't scream. I didn't beg for mercy. No, what I did was horrible. _

_I froze._

_I stared at the blade as it came arcing at me, knowing I was about to die. Damn, my life had amounted to nothing. But then suddenly a person in a black cloak appeared in between me and the sword, and deflected it. Easily he fought the man off in a few moments, and turned and kicked the man I had my kunai in away. Both fled immediately afterwards. However, I stood there still frozen._

_"C'mon, Koinu." I blinked when I heard Itachi's voice and looked up to find him slowly stalking away. I refused to move._

_"Why did you save me?" I shouted. I was furious. "You should've let them kill me!" Itachi stopped and turned to look at me with those cold eyes, before walking towards me until he was only a foot or two away. "I froze! Like a coward! I should've died!"_

_"I saved you, because with the potential you have one little mistake at the beginning doesn't mean you deserve to die. Next time though, I may not be here to save your neck." He turned his back to me, and what I caught next I could barely hear, at first I didn't know if he had actually said it or not._

_"...and you remind me of my brother."_

* * *

><p>I had been furious initially when I thought about it, but as I came to know Itachi, I realized he loved his little brother more than anybody else, though I don't think any of the other Akatsuki members realized it. He opened up the most to me, and it wasn't even that much. If I asked him a personal question, he would answer it most of the time.<p>

I stopped in a space between the trees, listening to the birds sing. I smirked slightly, before the bushes nearby rustled. I didn't move, but every instinct went on alert. The rustling stopped, and I dismissed it as an animal, until a weird feeling crept up on me. Whatever it was, it wasn't an animal. I was being followed. Without warning, I took off. And I'd been right. I heard someone pursuing me behind, but I didn't look back to see who, I just kept running.

* * *

><p><em>Orochimaru's sword sank through my stomach, spattering blood on to Tsunade. I coughed and spat blood from my mouth, staring at Orochimaru as blood dripped out of my mouth. Tsunade opened her eyes and gasped.<em>

_"Why did you-why did you save me?" She asked, and I replied with a cough of more blood._

_"Well... I couldn't just... leave you... to die... could I?" I coughed._

_"But, if you die now, you won't ever get the chance to kill him later!" I chuckled._

_"Look at who's talking about me killing him now. Don't get me wrong I still hate you, but you still are in the running for Fifth Hokage, right? And I can't just stand by and let the possible future Hokage die." I coughed again, and a few drops of blood spattered on to Orochimaru's face. Orochimaru chuckled._

* * *

><p>I don't know why I thought of that moment now, but thinking about it totally made me space out. I didn't realize where I was going, and I definitely didn't realize there was a cliff until I stepped off of it. I missed the ground, and looked down to see a river below. Hoping it was deep, I pushed off with my right foot and began plummeting down.<p>

I held my breath and closed my eyes, before plummeting in to ice cold water. Only when I hit the water did I realize how fast it was moving. I was instantly swept away. My head broke the surface and I gasped for breath, before my head went back under. I was bobbing up and down as if I were on the end of a fishing line. I was being swept down the river, and I didn't know how to get out. Suddenly, while I was under, my foot caught underneath a rock, and a tree that had fallen across the river lay over my head. My eyes shot open, to find that it wasn't just one rock, but like a little pile of rocks. I panicked and began clawing at them to lift them up, but they wouldn't budge.

* * *

><p><em>What do you want?" He snarled, and I stared at him with no emotion. He looked so pissed off. Like he just needed to get his anger out. I sighed and then smirked.<em>

_"You wanna fight?" Truth be told I've been wanting to fight him for a while now. Sasuke stared at me. "Don't worry about the Chidori either. I'm not your friend." That got a smirk on his face. He nodded, and we traveled a minutes away and deeper in to the forest, stopping at a medium sized clearing. I stopped at one end of said clearing, turned, and faced Sasuke who was at the other end._

_Sasuke smirked, before darting forward quickly at me. I dodged quickly to the side, before spinning around and lashing out with my foot. He turned slightly to the side and caught my foot. I growled in annoyance and lunged forward with my fist. He caught my fist with his other hand, and I smirked as I caught him. I lunged underneath our arms with my left fist, and covered it in fire chakra right before I slammed it in to his stomach. Sasuke groaned as he pushed me away. I flipped over, but managed to land on the ground and slid a few feet._

_"I'm not as weak, or as stupid as Naruto, Uchiha!" I growled as I surrounded myself in fire chakra. Sasuke leaped to the side, but I followed up with trying to punch him. He ducked underneath it, and slammed his foot in to my stomach, catching me off guard. I groaned as I slid back, my fire chakra being dispelled. I cracked my neck as I formed a Rasengan, which was surprisingly easier this time. Maybe because I knew what to do already. Anyway, my Rasengan formed in my hand, and Sasuke smirked as he formed his Chidori._

_We looked up and our eyes met, before we ran at each other. Nobody was here to stop us. If I didn't aim just right I'd either miss and we would clash, or I'd hit and possibly kill Sasuke. I might even miss completely and he'd hit and kill me. Either way, I had to make sure I aimed right. I aimed for his shoulder and chest area, while I assumed that he did the same for me. However at the last second, he changed direction and our two jutsu clashed. I growled in annoyance as the air around us whirled and whizzed. We glared in to each other's eyes, his blood red with those black swirls of the sharingan. I growled before suddenly, the area around us exploded, and we were both sent flying back._

_I grunted as my back slammed in to a tree, and Sasuke did the same. I coughed a few times, and smirked at the area of where we'd hit. The ground was seared, the grass burnt. I smirked and looked up as Sasuke stood up, and stood up myself. We both snarled simultaneously and charged at each other, roaring. Suddenly Kakashi leaped in between us, and shoved us both back to where we'd been. I grunted as I slammed in to the tree again, but I leaped to my feet quickly._

_"What's your deal!" I shouted angrily._

_"What did I tell you?" Kakashi yelled at Sasuke, ignoring me. "You don't aim a Chidori of that caliber at a friend!" I was so angry. I growled and stalked forward, my hands clenched in anger._

_"I'm not. His FRIEND!" I shouted, and Kakashi turned around to find me glaring at him, my teeth and fingernails sharpened and my pupils in slits._

* * *

><p>I thought about using chakra to get me out of that mess, but I knew I wouldn't be able to concentrate. It'd be a wasted effort. I didn't know why I'd thought back to the day me and Sasuke had fought. I continued clawing at the rocks, but eventually my vision started blurring. I gave up, and let my body float in limbo, looking at the inch or two of water in between my head and the surface. I let my mouth open, and watched as a small cloud of bubbles floated form my mouth to the surface, and then everything went black.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Sasuke." I muttered. He sighed and turned to look at me, his eyes void of any emotion.<em>

_"What are you gonna do, Koinu? Tell me you're desperately in love with me? Fight me and drag me back to Konoha?" He asked. I looked at him, not laughing at all and shook my head._

_"No, I'm not. I just wanna know why you're going." I growled, and Sasuke smirked._

_"You can drop the act, Koinu. I can tell that you want to leave too." Sasuke answered, and I chuckled once in surprise._

_"So you figured that out, huh?" I asked, and Sasuke nodded._

_"Why don't you come with me? Orochimaru can make us more powerful then we've ever imagined!" Sasuke said, his eyes alight with excitement. I shook my head._

_"I'm not going anywhere with that snake. I promise you that. And I'll promise you something else too. If you go with Orochimaru, I'll kill you too." Sasuke stared at me with those now desolate eyes. We stared at each other for a few moments, before the bushes rustled behind Sasuke. I looked up and saw Kabuto appear. He looked surprised to see me, but he smirked._

_"Well, well, well. Lookie what we have here. Do we have some sort of romance going on?" Sasuke and I snarled at the same time. Never. I looked at Sasuke one last time. I honestly didn't feel like fighting today._

_"So you're going? With... Orochimaru?" I asked without emotion. Sasuke nodded and I sighed._

_"Ok."_

* * *

><p>"Breathe." The voice sounded slurred, as if someone were drunk. I'd only realize later it was because I had almost drowned. I felt pressure on my chest, and then something laying on my chest before another push of pressure.<p>

"Breathe." Again the push of pressure, but suddenly something was resting on my lips, and then air flowed down my throat. It felt like heaven itself had just entered me. I coughed and spluttered, the water in my lungs fighting for control. Eyes still shut, I pushed myself to my side and retched, water flooding out of my mouth. I flopped back on my back, gasping for breath.

I opened my eyes, to find Sasuke sitting there, staring at me. I stared back at him, until the realization hit me when I saw that he was dripping wet, as was I. He had just saved my life. I sat up, and looked away from him, before getting to my feet and looking around. I looked back after a few minutes, before finding him still staring at me.

"What? You like the sight of a soaking wet girl?" I growled. Sasuke blinked and rolled his eyes. He got to his feet and started walking in one direction.

"C'mon. Madara wants us back soon." I looked around to find that it was almost dark. Damn, I guess time flew when you were almost dead. That reminded me.

"Where you the one chasing me?" I asked. Sasuke stopped and looked at me.

"Someone was chasing you?" He asked, there was something in his eyes, but I couldn't tell what it was. I blinked, and shook my head.

"Maybe not, I don't know." I shrugged and decided to follow him back. I was too weak now from the shock, but I still had that oath I'd made to him three years ago. I'd kill him eventually.

We found a spot that was like a steep road, so we could climb to the top of the cliff easily, and then began hiking through the forest back towards the hideout. As we walked, I realized just how much Sasuke had grown. He was taller. By an incredible amount. He now towered over me by a foot and a half at least. His hair was the same, and so were his eyes. He no longer wore a Konoha headband, which was expected, and he had traded out his normal outfit for an Orochimaru copycat kinda thing. Oh, and he had a sword sheathed in to the purple belt thing he wore.

We continued until we reached the hideout, and by the time we had reached the middle of the clearing the moon was well up in the sky. Tobi motioned for us to follow him. Who'd he think he was? Ordering me around like that? I was about to say something, until Sasuke followed him willingly. Alright, something was up. I narrowed my eyes and followed them. We entered the hideout and wove through hallways for a few minutes before entering a large room, a long table in the middle with only one chair at either end. However, what surprised me were the occupants of the room. Sasuke's lackeys and Kisame were already there. Now Tobi, Sasuke, and myself were there too. Sasuke crossed over and sat in one of the chairs calmly, as if he owned the place.

"Hold on a minute." I said as I took a spot next to Kisame as Tobi sat on the table on the other side of fish-head. I pointed a finger at him. "Exactly who are you?"

Tobi chuckled, before looking up at me. The eye glaring through his mask, was now a sharingan. I blinked.

"He's Madara Uchiha, dog-breath." Kisame growled. I don't know why I did, but when I saw how Kisame looked at Tobi, I believed him without question.

"So, you want to destroy Konoha, but do you have an actual plan?" Madara asked, turning to look at Sasuke.

"We eliminate the top tier. That's all I've come up with." Sasuke answered calmly.

"When you strike at the top, they shield themselves with the bottom. It's not that easy. You 'Taka' kids are still too inexperienced for this." Kisame piped in. I quickly understood that 'Taka' was the name of Sasuke's team.

"Don't underestimate us, Kisame. We still haven't finished our little 'game'." One of Sasuke's lackeys said. He had white hair, brilliant violet eyes, and finely sharpened teeth; and also carried a very familiar sword, though I don't know where I've seen it. He wore a sleeveless purple shirt and gray pants.

"Enough, Suigetsu." The other male from Taka growled. So purple-eyes' name was Suigetsu then. This guy had spiky, fiery orange hair and blood red eyes. He also wore a cloak, so I couldn't tell what was underneath if anything was.

Suigetsu laughed shortly at the other man, before leaping forward at Kisame, sword drawn in the blink of an eye. I stood there calmly, knowing Kisame wasn't an idiot. But, before Kisame could draw his Samehada, Madara leaped in between and blocked Suigetsu's sword with his arm only.

"Sasuke, will you rein in your subordinates please?" Madara growled from behind his orange mask.

"Suigetsu, are you insane! This is not the time!" The female from Taka shrieked.

"I'm after his sword, the Samehada! That's the only reason I came with Sasuke!" Suigetsu shouted, glaring at Madara.

"Well, Sasuke?" The orange-headed Taka member calmly asked.

"Right... Suigetsu, do what you want. You can't beat him yet anyway." Sasuke answered, waving him away calmly.

"Whatever, Sasuke. You'll be apologizing to me later when I'm serving you shark fin soup." Suigetsu cockily growled, lifting the sword off of Madara's arm and strapping it to his back again.

"At any rate," Madara piped up "Akatsuki is currently lacking in numbers and capability." There was a snide remark from Suigetsu that I decided to ignore. I mentally counted the members of Akatsuki that were left. Madara, Kisame, Konan, Pein, Zetsu... and me. Only 6 of us were left. "We share the same goals. So from now on Taka and Akatsuki move as one." I instantly tensed up. I would have to tolerate being around Sasuke longer? No way in hell.

"What's in it for us?" Sasuke calmly asked.

"The Bijuu." Was Madara's simple reply.

"Bijuu?" Sasuke asked naively. I laughed a short bark of laughter. These guys were jokes! They didn't even know what a Bijuu was? I zoned out for a moment, until Kisame spoke up next to me.

"There are nine Bijuu in our world. We've captured seven so far... just two to go."

"Akatsuki and Taka will split up to hunt the remaining two. That is our present goal." Madara cut in.

"So you haven't gotten the Kyuubi yet..." Sasuke trailed off. Madara and Sasuke locked eyes tensely.

"Akatsuki will take care of Naruto. Taka will get the other target." I smirked. I'd get to fight Naruto again. "Except," Madara turned and looked straight at me. I raised my head up slightly, and stared straight back at him. "Koinu, you will be accompanying Taka." My heart stopped beating I swear it did. I stared at Madara blankly for a moment, before snarling.

"No way! Why do I have to! Why not send Kisame? Or.. or... Zetsu?" I shouted.

"Originally we were going to send Zetsu, but Sasuke specifically requested you to go." My eyes shot and made contact with Sasuke's, who were cool and calm. Mine were a storm of pure anger, and his were calm as can be. But then I saw it, what REALLY set me off. There was a faint glimmer of humor in them, as if he wanted to get on my bad side. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists and glared back at Madara.

"It won't work! I can't work with him! The Hachibi will be lost before the fight even starts!"

Madara glared at me. His glare was icier than I've ever seen it before. "You're mission, the whole time of being in the Akatsuki was to collect the Bijuu first and foremost. Yes, revenge will come later. We all know you hate Sasuke because he killed Itachi and Orochimaru. Oh well, get over it for a week and collect the Hachibi. Then you two can go at each others throats." I unclenched my fists in defeat, but continued to glare at Madara. I sighed and looked away and stared at a spot on the ceiling. Madara nodded, before talking about something, and then walked in to the hallway.

I glared at Sasuke instantly then, who was already looking at me. "What is this to you? Some kind of joke? You KNOW I can't stand you!"

"I figured since we've already worked together before, it'd be easier than working with somebody else. Plus, you owe me for saving your life." I flinched slightly and snarled.

"We worked together three years ago. Things have changed."

Sasuke looked like he wanted to say something, but at that instant Madara walked in carrying four black Akatsuki cloaks. He tossed one to each of the Taka members and nodded approvingly as they each put them on. He then waved, said he had a meeting to attend, and left. I sighed in annoyance, before looking at Sasuke.

"So what know, Mr. Leader?" I asked, my voice dripping in sarcasm.

"We head to the Hachibi."


	21. The Guilt of a Demon

**Chapter 21: The Guilt of a Demon  
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I glared at the moon, unable to sleep. I was back in the middle of the clearing, sitting on top of the weird bones. The wind rustled my hair lightly. I had tried to go back to sleep when we dismissed or whatever, I honestly had... but I just... couldn't. I'd be going out with Taka to find the Hachibi, capture him, and extract the Bijuu. I wasn't nervous or anything. I'd gone after a few Bijuu already. But something felt... off. I didn't know what did, something just did. I growled and rubbed my head, before hearing somebody land on the bones behind me. I spun around to see Sasuke standing there, looking down at me. I glared at him, before turning forward as he moved and sat down next to me.

"What are you doing here? Come to mock me again?" I muttered, staring at the moon.

"Actually, I was wondering how you could sit in the moon now." I blinked and looked at Sasuke in confusion, and he sighed in exasperation.

"Y'know..." He trailed off, and when I still gave him a blank look he groaned. He sighed, and then did a wolf howl lightly. It wasn't that he did it bad, it was the fact that Sasuke Uchiha. _Sasuke Uchiha_. Just did a wolf howl. I snickered, but couldn't hold it back and started laughing my ass off. I couldn't breathe, and tiny tears welled in my eyes. As I gasped for breath between one of my fits, I realized Sasuke was laughing too, though not as hard as I was. Once I gained control of myself, I was able to sit up and smirked at Sasuke.

"Y'know, Uchiha, not everybody's weaknesses stay the same." I snickered. "I've had control of Garou for a while. It was hard at first, but eventually he learned that it wouldn't work, soo yeah." I looked back at the moon, my face blank again.

We sat there in silence, for what seemed like ever, listening to the wind whistle by. I was vaguely aware of this gnawing in the back of my mind saying that Sasuke wouldn't waste time out here just to ask one simple thing, and then stay. But y'know, I didn't care anymore. Not right now. I didn't think about how he'd gone to train under Orochimaru, my worst enemy, only to kill him and then come and kill Itachi. The only other man I considered an actual 'sensei' after Gakuro and Watiko.

I looked down at my hands, sitting in my lap, and then looked at Sasuke to find him glancing slyly at me. We stared at each other for a few moments, before I realized Sasuke was leaning in towards me. Our faces were only an inch away probably before I jerked back and rolled off of the bones and on to the ground, gasping 'No!'. I stood up straight and looked at Sasuke hesitantly. He looked at me in confusion.

"I promised. Three years ago I promised that I would kill you because you joined Orochimaru. And you killed both him and Itachi..." I trailed off. Why did I even care? I should've punched him in the face, not roll away like some coward! Sasuke just stared at me, and I turned and ran up the wall, leaping in to the hole that led to my room. I sat on my bed roll, and leaned my back against the wall. I blinked when I thought about the look in Sasuke's eyes. He actually looked... hurt. He almost never showed emotion and when he did it was for a split moment and then it was gone. This was easily identifiable, and it stayed there. I laid on my bedroll, and actually fell asleep in a few moments.

* * *

><p>I woke up the next morning to find light pouring in through my room. I yawned and sat up, before looking out of my window. What I saw surprised me. Sasuke was still sitting out there. In the same spot. It looked like he hadn't moved an inch. I sighed and leaped out, landing on the edge of the area. I crossed over towards the bone mass, coming up behind Sasuke. Instead of climbing on top of them, though, I moved around them and stopped in front of Sasuke. Sasuke was staring down at the ground underneath his feet. He blinked and looked at me, his eyes cold as stone, as they normally were.<p>

"C'mon, Uchiha. You can't be that bummed about last night." I muttered so nobody could hear us if anybody were up. He didn't reply. I sighed and shook my head, before turning as Madara leaped in to the clearing on the far side. He crossed over to us, and we all stood there in silence, until the rest of Taka joined us. I then realized that they were all wearing Akatsuki cloaks.

"Alright, let's head out." Sasuke spoke for the first time since last night I suspected. We all ran up the walls surrounding us and gathered in front of the forest line. Madara stayed in the clearing, and when I glanced back he was gone. We all then sprinted forward, towards Kumogakure. We traveled for a while. Probably a total of five days to get there. We camped out every night, and during all that time Sasuke and I barely even looked at each other. And we never directly spoke.

Finally, we reached the lightning country, and we were around the outskirts of the Lightning Cloud Gorge. I only knew of it from the map. We came to find a chain-link fence, that seemed miles long. Suddenly, there was a light gasp and we all spun around to find a ninja from Kumogakure standing there. He was either an old Genin or a Chunin from how he gasped foolishly instead of running when he saw us.

Suigetsu reacted first. He slammed his leg in to the man's stomach, knocking him in to the fence. Then his hand shot forward, while his body stayed back a few yards. It looked like he was made out of water. His hand clamped down on top of the man's head as Suigetsu's body ran forward and reconnected with it. He smirked sadistically at the man.

"So where's this eight-tails?" Suigetsu snarled.

"Don't underestimate our village! I have no interest in telling anything to the likes of you!" The man shouted back. Suigetsu smirked, and pulled his arm slowly back, the fence passing through his arm easily. The man groaned in pain. The man said something I didn't understand, until Sasuke decided to interfere.

"In a fearful heart, weak spots will always arise." He muttered as he walked forward, his eyes closed. He then opened his right eye only, revealing his blood red and black Mangekyou sharingan. The man stopped fighting immediately.

"That's enough, Suigetsu. Sasuke's using his genjutsu." Karin muttered.

"Man. And I was just about to have my fun tormenting him." Suigetsu muttered.

"Tell me the location of the eight-tailed beast." Sasuke demanded from the man. I crossed my arms over my chest and turned around, surveying the land behind us as Sasuke interrogated the man. I felt as if we had eyes on us, but nothing moved even slightly. The wind wasn't blowing anymore either. I narrowed my eyes, before Sasuke coughed.

"Right. We'll make camp in the forest tonight and then go after the eight-tails in the morning." We all nodded, before he led us in to the forest. We found a small clearing, and set about finding wood for tonight. Once we had, we piled it up, and then we all laid out our sleeping bags. The night came quicker than I expected it to. We started the fire, and boiled a pot of tea. While we were sipping our tea we had fish cooking. After we all ate, we sat around for a while longer before we went to bed. Out of the corner of my eye I couldn't help but notice how Sasuke kept glancing over quickly at me. I rolled my eyes and stared up through the branches at the setting sun.

Suddenly, a black and white cat darted out of a bush, headed for me. I stood up and met him halfway, before kneeling in front of him. His head came to the base of my neck when I knelt down. He was panting for breath, so I knew he had been running for a while.

"Koinu?" He asked, as we had never met.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sanin, has been killed." I blinked in surprise, and then narrowed my eyes.

"By who?"

"Pein."

I nodded, and motioned for the cat to leave. He nodded, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. I stood up, and grabbed my unpacked bag.

"I'm going." I informed Sasuke's group, who looked at me in shock, although they had heard the conversation.

"Why?" Sasuke asked first, his voice dull as if he didn't really care, though I knew that he did for some reason.

"I'm going to go to Pein."

"Why? So you can kill him for killing your sensei?" Sasuke sneered.

"If he had been my sensei, and I wanted to kill Pein for killing him, then we wouldn't be having this conversation, Uchiha." I growled, and with that I just walked away. Nobody decided to follow me, and nobody called after me. I walked through the forest until I was a decent way away, before doing a string of hand signs.

"Summoning Jutsu!" I shouted, before my traveling cheetah appeared. I hopped on his back without a word. "To Pein." My cheetah knew exactly where to go, and we were off. Don't ask me how he knew which way to go, he just did.

While we were traveling, I began wondering exactly when Naruto would show up. It was obvious that he would want revenge of Pein for killing Jiraiya. Jiraiya had been one of his main sensei. I curse myself for it now, but as we were going so fast I didn't expect anyone to try and ambush us, however, I was wrong.

After a couple hours of traveling, when we were entering the Land of Fire's territory, a body slammed in to me full force, knocking me off of Chimpo. Chimpo slid to a halt, and turned to look at me and the man that was on top of me. I growled and was about to attack, before I realized who it was on top of me.

"Dammit, Madara! Get off!" I snarled.

As the masked Uchiha stood up and got off of me, he watched as I stood up and glared at him.

"Why'd you do that?" I growled.

"Go back to Sasuke."

"I'm going to Pein."

"I don't care, go back to Sasuke."

"Since when have you been my mother?" I snarled.

"Since when have you felt the need to be by Pein's side?" He countered.

"Since I found out Jiraiya died, and you know Naruto will end up there!"

"You don't think Pein can handle himself?"

"I think he can. But I want a piece of action against Naruto myself."

Madara narrowed his visable eye at me, before snickering lightly.

"What?" I growled.

"You don't want to go back to Sasuke because he's falling for you." It wasn't a question, more of a statement of a fact he already knew.

"Why should I care about how somebody feels about me?"

"Because you're falling for him too, and you don't want to fall for somebody you've sworn to kill."

"Yeah, whatever, Madara. Make whatever claims you want to, I'm going to Pein."

"No, you aren't." Madara grabbed my arm as I turned to get back on Chimpo. I yanked it out of his grasp and glared at him.

"Look, do you want your top two ninja out there trying to capture the Kyuubi when he shows up? Or take the risk of losing your best ninja when he shows up?"

"If Pein dies than he dies. We will capture the Kyuubi anyway."

And that's when it hit me. What Madara had REALLY used Akatsuki for. I snarled and clenched my fists tightly, fighting back the impulse to pound this guy's face in.

"Now go back to Sasuke." Madara ordered, before turning to leave, as if he knew I would obey him.

"When were you going to tell anyone, Madara?" I snarled, trembling in fury at both myself and him. Fury at myself for being so stupid.

"Tell anyone what, exactly?" He asked as he turned back around.

"When were you going to tell us that we were all just pawns? That when we died it didn't matter to you?" I snarled.

"I'm surprised you actually care. Nobody's cared about you before, have they?"

"THIS WAS MY FAMILY! Sure, we were all freaks in some perspective, but they didn't treat me like shit! Even though I had a demon in me, it didn't matter to them! And now most all of them are dead, and you don't even care if they all die!" I shouted, before breathing heavily as I suppressed my anger, no matter how slightly.

"When were you going to kill me, Madara?" I asked, my voice lowering multiple octaves.

Madara was now turned to face me, looking calm as could be. He must've known that this day was coming soon.

"That's it, I'm done. I'm out." I took my ring off and tossed it to Madara, who caught it easily.

"You know that if you leave, the next time you meet an Akatsuki member they will kill you, correct?"

"They can try. But do I even care anymore?" I asked, and Madara shrugged.

"Fine, have it your way. But I will still end up with your demon, Koinu. One way or the other."

I jumped on to Chimpo's back, and he began running, though no longer towards Pein. He was simply running away from Madara, as I had no clue where to go anymore.

"Stop here." I ordered as we reached a small clearing in the forest. Chimpo stopped, and I made camp. I had to figure out where to go. I couldn't go to Konoha, I couldn't go back to the Akatsuki, and most likely I was in the Bingo book, so I really had nowhere to go. I didn't sleep, however. I just sat and stared in to the fire, kunai in hand.

And then suddenly, later in the night, a kunai shot out from the bush across from me. I deflected it and was instantly on my feet, scanning for intruders. Another kunai shot out at me, and as I deflected it a man ran out, kunai in hand. He engaged me with said kunai, and it was only as our kunai were locked and we couldn't move them for a moment that our eyes met. Mine piercing yellow, his emerald green.

I blinked as the firelight lit up his features, and my mind went blank. Brown hair, green eyes.

Motaroku?

Suddenly recognition dawned in his eyes, and he snarled and kicked my stomach, knocking me back. Definitely not Motaroku.

"Koinu." The man snarled, and instantly I knew him.

"Rai?" I asked, and the man only stared at me, so I knew it was him. The boy who was Watiko's nephew, who had befriended me before the third task in the Chunin Exams. I smiled lightly and stood up/

"It's been so long..." I trailed off as I walked slowly to him, but he only retaliated by holding his kunai up. I blinked in shock. "What're you doing?"

"You're in the Akatsuki now, Koinu. I have to kill you."

"I'm not in the Akatsuki anymore, Rai." I sighed.

"I still have to kill you. You almost killed my uncle, even though he had trained you and helped you."

"Rai, don't do this. Where's Watiko? I need to apologize anyway..." And then he leaped at me, lunging with his kunai and aiming for my throat. I instinctively blocked and pushed his kunai away with my forearm, before looking in to his eyes. He really did want to kill me. I gulped. I didn't want to kill Rai. At all. But... he was going to kill me. And I didn't want to die.

"I'm sorry, Koinu." He whispered, before it became a full on fight. I took out a kunai and lunged for Rai, who leaped away from me. I took a deep breath, and hardened my heart. I was used to it, I guess.

We darted and lunged at each other, metal clanging as our weapons clashed. I slammed my left fist in to his stomach, knocking him back before he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Suddenly a man tackled me from behind, and I landed on the ground on my back by the fire, Rai on top of me. He snarled and reared his right arm back, before lunging forward at me. I caught it quickly and easily, but groaned as he put extra force on it. He went to punch me with his left hand, and I caught it easily too, though now I was struggling to hold both of his fists.

I scanned the surroundings out of the corner of my eye, before quickly making a plan. I shot my left hand forward, causing his right arm to slam in to his left arm, knocking them both away. I reached out towards my fire, grabbed one of the sticks on fire, and slammed the burning tip in to his shoulder. Rai cried out, before rolling off of me. I got to my feet quickly, still holding the stick. I had hoped that Rai would retreat after that, but he didn't.

"Wind Style: Wind Storm Jutsu!" Suddenly wind surrounded us, going every which way. My Akatsuki cloak flapped wildly around, as did my hair. The fire I had going was smothered from all of the wind, as was the flame on the stick I held. I grunted as debris flew in to my eyes, clenching them closed. I was disoriented. I couldn't smell any scents, or see, or hear. I was in trouble. Suddenly a large rock slammed in to my chest, sending me crashing between it and a tree. I grunted before the wind stopped, and I fell to the ground underneath the rock.

I growled and managed to wipe the grit out of my eyes quickly. I pointed my right palm out at Rai, before sending a beam of darkness energy out at him as he ran at me. The beam connected quickly, and he was sent flying back with a loud scream that echoed through the forest. I pushed the rock off of me and got to my feet, looking at Rai.

"Run away, Rai. I don't want to kill you." I told him as I foolishly walked closer towards his shaking body, which was face down.

"Then don't. Let me kill you!" He shouted as he quickly got to one knee and lunged forward with his kunai, aimed at my throat. My eyes widened in shock before my body reacted from instinct. A kunai shot out of one of my hidden arm pockets, and I ducked slightly to the right to block his kunai, before burying it in to his throat. Rai's scream gurgled with blood before cutting off as he collapsed to the ground, dead. I let go of my kunai, eyes wide in shock. Blood covered my hands, and I began to shake slightly as I sobbed lightly. I had just killed one of my only friends left.

I think the worst part was that he looked just like Motaroku.

"I just didn't want to die." I began whispering over and over in the darkness of the forest, cradling my head as I sat down. A twig snapped behind me, and I spun around, afraid reinforcements had come. I growled and wiped the tears away from my face as I saw that it was Kakashi Hatake.

"Leave. Me. Alone!" I shouted, however he didn't seem like he wanted to fight at all. He didn't even have his headband raised up to use his sharingan.

"You didn't want to kill him." He stated simply.

"Yeah, so? I still did." I whispered, tears forming in my eyes again.

"You aren't a cold hearted killer, Koinu. Even if you ran with the Akatsuki, who are, for three years. You aren't."

"So? It's not like it matters! I was in league with them, and now every single village wants my head! I have nowhere to go."

"Why not to the Akatsuki's base?"

"I quit the Akatsuki."

Kakashi stared at me for a minute, before sighing and rubbing his head with his left hand as he placed his right hand on his hip. It was a while before he looked back up at me.

"Do you want to come back to Konoha, Koinu?" He asked. My mind lapsed for a moment. Did I? I wanted a place to live. To settle down and fix everything that had happened. I shook my head though.

"Nobody will take me back. I'll be killed before I even enter the gate."

"Not if you're with me. And once we get to the village I'll take you up to see Tsunade. She may seem tough, but she has a particular soft side for knuckleheads." Kakashi chuckled lightly, and I smirked slightly before letting it drop, and just thought. I glanced down at the crescent moon necklace around my neck. Motaroku. I sighed. I owed it to him. I owed it to him to go back to Konoha. To make things right again. I swallowed down the lump in my throat and stood.

"Alright. Let's go." I said, and looked at Kakashi, who nodded.

**A/N: Alright! There's chapter 21! I know, it was a little weird and fast paced, but just a heads-up, the next few chapters might be like that too. Sorry ahead of time, but I'll try to make them as good as I can! :) Please review, they're greatly appreciated!**


	22. Fight for Your Right

**Chapter 22: Fight for Your Right  
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As Kakashi and I walked back to Konoha, a knot formed in my stomach. I had flipped my Akatsuki jacket inside out, so now all I wore that really distinguished anything was my headband. When we entered Konoha, the whispers started almost instantly. People knew who I was, I would be dead by now if it weren't for the fact that Kakashi was now walking right next to me, holding my arm as if he were escorting a prisoner.

I hadn't seen anyone I personally knew though, so that was a relief. Especially since I didn't want to see Naruto right now anyway. We reached the Hokage's tower easily and without contest, though I sensed that many people wanted to. We stood outside of the door to Tsunade's main room. I took a deep breath. I hadn't seen Tsunade in years. Would she hate me now? Probably, I wouldn't bet otherwise, at least.

Kakashi knocked on the door, and a reply came instantly. "Come in." my stomach did flips at the fact that she sounded the same. Kakashi grabbed the doorknob, and pushed it open. We walked in, and I was resigned to stare at the ground as we walked and then stood in the center of the room. I had stood there so many times before that it was a bittersweet moment.

"Who's this?" Tsunade asked, before I looked up and made eye contact with her, and she gasped in shock. "Koinu?"

I smiled tentatively. "Guess I didn't have much to worry about, huh? I mean, Konoha's still on its feet and all..." I laughed, though it was a nervous one used to fill the awkwardness.

"Why are you here? You know I have every right to capture you, interrogate you, and then kill you; right?" I gulped.

"Yes, ma'am." I muttered, and this seemed to throw Tsunade off. I had never called her ma'am before.

"So why are you here?" I opened my mouth to speak, though I didn't know what I would say, before Kakashi interrupted.

"If I may, Lady Hokage, explain Koinu's current... dilemma?" Kakashi asked, before motioning to me and then the door. I looked at him in confusion, before looking at the Hokage, who nodded.

"Please go outside, Koinu." The Hokage ordered. I nodded, bowed, and left the room, stopping right outside the door and sliding to the ground, sitting there calmly, though my stomach was still doing flips. A thought suddenly struck me, and I climbed to my feet before walking down to the nearby window, and looking out at the Hokage faces. They were all the same, except for the fact that Tsunade's face was up there now. I stared at it for what must've been a while, before the door to her office opened up again, and Kakashi motioned me in.

I walked in, a smirk on my face. "I forgot that your face was carved in to the mountain, Tsunade." Tsunade stared at me, though, unmoved. I wiped the smirk off of my face, and looked at the ground.

"Soo... are you going to take me captive? Or are you going to be nice and let me go?" I asked without looking up.

"Neither." My head shot up in hope, and Tsunade shook her head. "We'll fight. If you win I'll give you a chance. But if you lose, well, I think we both know what happens then."

"Wait, we're gonna fight now? Like, right now?" Tsunade nodded, and I nodded in return, before reaching up and untying my headband. I looked at it, seeing the slash through the leaf symbol on it, and sighed, before tossing it to her. She caught it effortlessly, and looked at me questioningly.

"I don't want anything affiliated with the Akatsuki, and I don't deserve to wear anything that has the Leaf Village's symbol on it." I answered her question. She raised her eyebrows, before I turned and motioned for her to lead.

* * *

><p>We stood across from each other, on top of the Hokage Tower, underneath the heads of the Hokage. I still wore my Akatsuki cloak, but it was still inside out. Kakashi stood on the outer rings as we faced off, and I had a sense of deja vu from back when I had first met Tsunade and smirked, looking down. Tsunade must have known what I was thinking, because she smirked too.<p>

"Been a while huh, Koinu?" She asked as she spread her feet apart and placed her hand on her hip, looking at me exactly like she had those years ago.

"You're the same lady I knew back then, Tsunade. Only difference is that now you're the Hokage." I smirked, spreading my own feet.

"Begin!" Kakashi shouted.

I sprang forward instantly, sprinting at Tsunade. I lunged forward with my fist, knowing she would dodge it. As soon as she began leaning to the right and away from me, I brought my leg out and slammed it in to her guarding arm. There was a loud smack, and I saw Tsunade smirked.

"You're a lot stronger." She acknowledged before pushing me away and sending me in to the air. "But you're the same little kid I fought against a few years ago."

Tsunade leaped in to the air after me, and as she reached the point in the air higher than me, she slammed her fist in to my stomach. I went flying to the ground quicker than I ever had, and slammed in to the roof, creating a rather large crater in the ground. I disappeared in a cloud of smoke, before reappearing above Tsunade, a regular blue Rasengan formed in my hand.

She sensed my presence apparently, and spun around, bringing her leg up and forcing me to block it with my free hand. I cursed mentally, before reaching forward, trying to get my Rasengan to connect, but Tsunade kicked off of my arm, sending herself to the ground before I could connect. As I landed across from her my Rasengan disappeared. I looked at the crater my clone had created when he was sent in to the ground, and cringed mentally. If I let Tsunade get a punch in on me, I was a dead man.

I reached up and unzipped my cloak, before taking it off and throwing it to the side. I wouldn't need it. Now I was wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black pants. I took a deep breath before forming dark chakra in to my hand, however I didn't create a Rasengan. Instead, the dark chakra formed a four pointed shuriken, and when Tsunade saw it her eyes widened slightly, though why I don't know.

"Shadow Release: Dark Shuriken!" I shouted before rearing back with my right arm, and throwing it forward. It spun rapidly as it shot forward at Tsunade, who stood watching it, but leaped over it. I smirked and held my hand out. "Darkness return!" I shouted, before concentrating on my Dark Shuriken. It stopped and was suspended in mid air, before suddenly it began spinning and came rocketing back towards me. Tsunade landed as it began its return, and was forced to use some sort of water jutsu that met and caused both jutsu to disperse.

As she turned around, she blinked as she saw me, before my fist slammed in to her stomach. I smirked as I landed the hit, but it was quickly dispelled as Tsunade grabbed my arm, brought me over her head, and slammed me in to the ground. I grunted as I smashed through part of the roof, stuck between the sides of the small fissure now made.

Tsunade glared down at me, hands on her hips. I growled and struggled for a moment, before realizing that I was stuck. My arms were plastered to my sides and I couldn't move them enough to form a hand sign. I was a sitting duck. Tsunade smirked when she saw that I couldn't do diddly-squat, before deciding to finish it. I saw the chakra channel around her hand, which she turned in to a fist. She reared back, and my mind kicked in to overdrive.

I formed a small wall of dark chakra over my face as she brought her fist down, colliding with said shield. However, my shield did crack. I grunted with the amount of concentration it took to keep the shield up as Tsunade began wailing away at it, each time the shield cracked a bit more. I closed my eyes as Tsunade wailed at my shield, before opening them up to have my pupils turned in to slits. I growled with Garou's given strength, before yanking my arms up and having them break free of the fissure. I climbed out and stood on one side across from Tsunade.

"Can we wrap this up already?" I growled as my pupils returned back to normal. Tsunade raised an eyebrow at me, and I blinked as she thought that I was done with all that I could do.

"Don't get me wrong, Lady Hokage, I can do much more. I just think that both you and Kakashi could get back to whatever you two have to do today." I smiled politely, though I was ready to die already today. All of this politeness was starting to get to me.

"Fine, then we'll finish this now, Koinu." Tsunade nodded.

Tsunade leaped at me from across the fissure. I ducked to the side, channeling my trademark dark Rasengan in my hand. I lunged forward, only to have my hand deflected away from her, so quickly I shot my leg out and kicked her away. I quickly took a kunai out and ran at her, channeling chakra in to the blade to have it sharper. She was getting to her feet from my kick as I was only a foot or so away.

Every cell in my body screamed to kill her.

Get it over with and it would be that much easier to collect the Jinchuriki.

Madara would let me go back to the Akatsuki.

...but he would still kill me for Garou.

I had unknowingly lunged at Tsunade's throat, who was for some reason unable to move. My eyes widened as I realized I was only inches from her throat, and quickly I spun and released the kunai, sending it flying and sticking in to the door that we had come out of. I stared at Tsunade in shock, my hands shaking. She blinked and looked at me, before standing up. Dammit. I had lost. My only chance to win and I had lost like a coward.

She raised her hand up, and I closed my eyes as I was sure she was going to punch me with that monster strength of her's. I didn't try to stop her. It was over anyway. However, instead of a punch, she flicked my forehead. Not to say that it didn't hurt, but she flicked my forehead. I flew back from her strength, slamming in to the ground and leaving a trail as I continued to slide. I slammed against the railing, finally coming to a halt, and opened my eyes to watch Tsunade cross the ceiling towards me, where I rubbed my forehead.

As she reached me she grabbed the collar of my shirt with both hands and picked me up in to the air, glaring at me with fury in her eyes. I gulped as I anticipated the wrath that was sure to follow, but instead, Tsunade's face broke in to a smile. A _smile._ I stared at her in shock as she lowered me to the ground and released me.

"Welcome back, Koinu Hashitaki." She smiled, before reaching in to the pocket of her green goat, and pulled out something wrapped in navy blue cloth. As she unwrapped it, I blinked as I stared at a brand new headband with the Leaf Village's symbol on it. As I stood there in a daze, Tsunade walked behind me, before tying the headband to my forehead.

As she returned to stand in front of me, I was finally able to talk. "But- why? I-I lost..." I muttered.

"You went to kill me, but stopped yourself. No matter how much the Akatsuki ingrained for you to kill me if you got the chance, you didn't. That's enough loyalty for me. It'll be a struggle for you to be here normally now, Koinu, but I'm sure you can do it." She smiled at me again, and before I knew it tears were falling from my face like an idiot. I hissed and rubbed my eyes.

"Dammit. There's something in my eye." Tsunade and Kakashi both laughed at me.

I was later told that I wasn't allowed to do any missions without being accompanied with Kakashi, unless ordered by Tsunade herself as otherwise.


	23. Puppy Love and Pain

**Chapter 23: Puppy Love and Pain  
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My house had been untouched since I left. I had walked in that day, to find all of my old stuff thrown in disarray, exactly how I had left it. However, everything was coated in layers of dust now. The first thing I noticed, however, was that the picture frame I kept on my bedside table had fallen over. I picked it up, dusting it off and smiled at the old picture of me and my team. I set it back down, upright, and got to work. I cleaned my apartment, spending the rest of the day cleaning.

Once I was finished, it was almost dark. So I went out and bought me a new cloak. This one was black, but instead of Akatsuki clouds there were green Konoha leaf symbols on it. I slid it on, thankful for the comfort of wearing a cloak again, and went to get some ramen at Ichiraku's. Once I had eaten, I decided to train as I had no desire to go to sleep.

While on my way to the spot I had always used to train, I accidentally went by the memorials. I stopped when I saw the painfully familiar stone memorials, and instantly went to the Genin one, finding my two teammate's names. I swallowed a lump that had formed in my throat, and sat down in front of it, wrapping my arms around my knees and laying my head down on my arms.

I laughed at a memory of the Motaroku and I had decided to play pranks on each other to determine which one of us was the better prankster. I had put bright pink hair dye in Motaroku's shampoo, while he had put something in my ramen that had turned my tongue neon blue.

I hadn't realized that I was crying, or how late it was also, until I heard a voice from behind me.

"How did I know you would be here?" Kakashi asked. I turned to look at him, but turned back to memorial, my face emotionless. Kakashi sat on the ground next to me, looking at names that I didn't know.

"Why won't you let them go?" He suddenly asked. I looked at him questioningly until he elaborated. "They're dead, Koinu. Yes, I know it's tough for your teammates and comrades to die, but you have to be able to let them go. You have to be able to move on. I'm not saying forget about them, but I'm saying you have to move on enough to let other people come in to your life. Other teammates. Other comrades."

I looked away and stared at one name in particular. Motaroku Inro. I sighed and buried my face in my arms. I couldn't move on. I don't know why I couldn't I just... couldn't.

Kakashi sighed. "Koinu, do you think Motaroku would want you to mourn over his death for so long, that you completely ignored everybody else who wanted to be your friend?" I looked up and at Kakashi. He smirked slightly.

"In case you were wondering, Naruto did want to be your friend. After both you and Sasuke left, he was devastated. He went with Jiraiya to train for three years because he wanted to bring you and Sasuke back. He constantly spoke about how he wanted to bring both of you back. Not just Sasuke." I blinked in shock, and looked at the ground.

"You've got to be able to move on, Koinu. Otherwise, you won't get as strong as you could be." Kakashi finished as he stood up.

"Hey, Kakashi?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's Naruto?" I had been surprised that the bonehead hadn't rushed to my house after finding out that I was there.

"He's training with those toads of his." So that was why.

"Ok." Kakashi turned to walk away, and I decided to add on. "Thanks, Kakashi." I saw him nod as he continued walking, and I stood up and walked to the training field.

As I trained myself to exhaustion, I thought. Maybe it was time to let my team go. I had let Itachi befriend me, now it was time to let others in too. Hours later, after my farthest point of exhaustion, I passed out and fell asleep at the base of a tree in the middle of the forest.

* * *

><p>Something wet and rough swiped across my face to wake me up. Multiple times. I groaned and opened my eyes, to find a large, white, furry face staring at me. The face had a long white muzzle, with a brown nose at the tip. It had two long, white ears with brown patches in the middle. I had woken up to the face of a dog staring at me.<p>

I screamed in shock as leaped to the side, rolling away. I heard laughing and looked to find a boy my age with short, spiky brown hair and sharp, black eyes sitting on the ground, laughing at me. He had lightly tanned skin, with red fang markings on his cheeks. His canine teeth were very sharp, and overall he just had a wild look about him. He wore a gray fishnet undershirt, a black leather jacket, and black pants. His ninja sandals and his headband were also black.

"So it's true," He said once he stopped laughing as his white dog sat down next to him. "you are back."

I looked at him in question. Did I know him?

"Sorry, but do I know you?"

A pained look crossed the boy's face. "Gee, Koinu. I'm hurt. Don't you remember me at all?" I shook my head, and the boy shrugged. "Guess you wouldn't. Seeing as Naruto wasn't your permanent teammate, I wouldn't see why you would remember how he farted in my face to beat me in the Chunin Exams." I blinked in instant recognition.

"Oh. Hey, Kiba." I smirked. Kiba's face broke in to a huge smile.

"There ya go, wolf girl!" He laughed, I laughed too, before looking at his dog. What was his dog's name? Akamaru? I held my hand out, and Akamaru instantly bounded over, as if he had been waiting for me to ask. He leaped on top of me, and began licking every inch of my face. I laughed, trying to block my face.

"Get your dog off, Inuzuka!" I laughed, though I really didn't mind. I loved dogs.

"Akamaru, down!" Kiba barked lightly. Akamaru stopped licking me, and moved so that I could sit up. I smiled at the dog as I wiped my face, before petting him. Akamaru had grown a lot in the past few years. He was now easily my waist-height, where as he had been small enough to sit on Kiba's head if I remembered right.

"So, is your head big enough to where Akamaru still sits on top of it?" I teased, and Kiba smirked.

"Nah, I don't have that big of an ego."

Kiba and I laughed, and we just sat there talking for a while. I didn't even realize exactly how much fun I was having until my stomach growled. Kiba snickered.

"Wanna go grab some food? And then I can show you around Konoha? Not that it's changed much." I blinked in shock and stood up.

"Uh, no, sorry. I have somewhere to be." I turned and began walking away as I heard Kiba's sad sigh.

_"You've got to be able to let them go, Koinu." _Kakashi's voice from last night floated through my head, and I stopped. I took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. It was time to let them go. Time to move on, and hopefully have good friends just like them. I turned to face Kiba, who looked at me quizzically, and I smirked.

"Actually, yeah. I'd love to go grab something to eat." I smiled at Kiba, who seemed ecstatic. He leaped to his feet, and we went to some restaurant that had really good food.

Kiba then proceeded to show me around the village. He was right, it hadn't changed much at all. We passed the academy and the main shopping place. He bought a popsicle with two sticks and split it in half, giving me part. I was having a really nice time, though it truthfully was really weird. It felt natural, though at the same time it didn't feel exactly like me.

"Hey, Kiba!" I heard a voice from behind us. We turned to find another kid our age, who was really fat. He had long, spiky brown hair and brown eyes. He wore black pants and a red jacket with metal plates on the shoulders and sleeve cuffs, with a metal chest protector. He had red swirls on his cheeks and a red symbol on the chest protector. His headband was red and he also wore black ninja sandals. I recognized him, because I had fought him during the Chunin Exams. It was Choji Akimichi.

"Hey, Choji." Kiba smiled, Choji caught up to us and looked at me, seeming to realize who I was pretty quick.

"Oh hey, look. I was wondering when I'd see Koinu around." He smiled at me, before leaning in to whisper something in Kiba's ear, though I could still hear.

"Are you two on a date?" Choji asked, and Kiba's eyes widened and he punched Choji's shoulder.

"No, you idiot!" Though I almost started laughing when I saw that Kiba was blushing.

"Well I was just asking!" Choji shouted as he rubbed said shoulder.

"There you are, Koinu! I've been looking everywhere for you!" A voice that I knew shouted from behind me. I cursed underneath my breath as I turned to face the annoying as hell pink-haired girl.

"What do you want Sakura-" Suddenly there was a loud explosion. I turned to the west, to find large plumes of smoke entering the sky. Then another explosion sounded to the south.

"What the hell's going on!" I shouted as another explosion to the north sounded. Without waiting for an answer, I leaped towards the explosions. Kiba and Choji followed me, and I was sure Sakura had gone to the Hokage.

It was complete chaos. Villagers and innocent citizens were running for their lives. Nobody knew what was going on. As I was running I spotted a little kid hiding behind the corner of a wall, a man in a black coat walking towards him. My eyes widened in shock. Pein was here! I leaped down towards the Pein, not knowing which one it was yet. I lunged forward with my fist, though he ducked underneath me easily. I landed and slid across the ground in between the kid and Pein, not knowing who the kid was. He had a headband, so I guessed he was a Genin.

I turned to face Pein, to find that it was the Naraka Path Pein. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Ah, Koinu. Maybe you know where the Kyuubi is?"

"Like I'd tell you." I growled.

"I have to kill you anyway, Koinu. Might as well help us out, right?" He asked.

"The Akatsuki is using us, Pein. Stop the fighting now. Please, Pein. Madara was going to kill us all, anyway."

However, he ignored me. Instead, he lunged for my throat. Knowing that if he got a hold of me and began asking the right questions that I would most likely die, I was prepared to dodge and run. I ducked under his arm and smacked my leg in to his chest, only to have his hand close around my leg. Quickly, I pushed off of his chest with my foot, and leaped back as another Konoha ninja appeared. He wore the standard navy blue jumpsuit with the green armor over it, and his headband was a navy blue bandana. I didn't personally know him, but he seemed experienced enough.

"Get out of here, Koinu." He said, though he was facing Pein. How he knew who I was, I don't know. I stared at his back, wondering what he meant. I was going to stay and fight for sure!

"Get the information that you know on this guy to the Hokage! Now!" When I didn't move he became enraged. "Dammit, Koinu if you move you could save hundreds of lives! Get going!" I blinked and shook my head. I looked at the man's back, and nodded. Then, I took off. I know that Pein tried following me, but the man was able to keep him back.

I ran instinctively for the Hokage Tower, hoping beyond hope that Tsunade was still there and hadn't been dragged further out yet. I hoped she was waiting for me to show up. Damn, I'd only been here for a day and already the Akatsuki had shown up... and then I stopped moving as I landed on a rooftop.

What if Tsunade thought I'd brought the Akatsuki here? That I had worked to gain her trust just to have them infiltrate us? It was enough to make me not want to go find her, but then I got to thinking. If Tsunade wanted me dead here, between her and Pein and the more experienced ninja of Konoha I was dead. Might as well try to get on Tsunade's good side again, if I were even on her bad side. I took off running again.

I landed on the roof of the Hokage's Tower, finding Tsunade in the middle by a bunch of ANBU. They all took out kunai and formed a wall between Tsunade and I. I gulped, and threw my arms up in submission.

"I'm still on your side!" I shouted. The ANBU looked at Tsunade, who was now standing and staring at me. She nodded, and the ANBU let her through so that we were facing each other. I lowered my hands and took a deep breath.

"As I'm sure you know, I have a good bit of info on these guys." I said. Tsunade nodded, and motioned for me to continue.

"There are six Pein's. Each of them have different abilities, but none of them are real, so to speak. They use the black rods pierced throughout all of their bodies as chakra receivers. None of them are re-" I leaped leaped in to the sky as a kunai shot at me, interrupting my report. As I landed I looked past the ANBU, who had now turned their backs to me to face a new enemy, to find another Pein. Out of the six of them, he was easily the best. I gulped.

"You..." Tsunade gasped as she saw him.

"Long time no see, Tsunade. You're the last of the Sanin." Pein said calmly. "Oh, Koinu. What a surprise. I never... expected to see you join Konoha again."

"Pein, please. The Akatsuki are using you! Madara planned to kill every single one of us off! Having the other ninja kill everyone else was just saving him the trouble of doing it! Please, Pein." However, like with the other one Pein ignored me.

"Tsunade, I've wanted to talk with you."

"You're... that kid." Tsunade was still in shock it seemed.

"Looks like you remember me." Nothing seemed to shock Pein or surprise him or anything.

"Do you know him?" One of the ANBU asked Tsunade.

"A little..."

"Who is he?" The ANBU asked.

"The god who will restore order." Pein answered for Tsunade. "Where is Naruto Uzumaki? Where is the Nine-Tailed Fox?"

"Who knows." Tsunade replied instantly. I decided to let her do the talk, at least for now.

"I've captured almost all the hosts. The ninja villages have lost the equilibrium of the tailed beasts. It's no use hiding the Nine-Tailed Fox. The fighting will start soon. The embers of war are already smoldering, and we will control the war. If you cooperate I'll be willing to help you. You must be aware of the situation of our power."

"Don't underestimate the Fifth Hokage! You're just a bunch of terrorists trying to destroy the stability our forefathers worked for! Whatever you say is meaningless!" Tsunade shot back, and I flinched, knowing that I used to be one of them just a few days ago.

"Don't be so haughty." Pein replied after a minute of silence. Suddenly, you could feel his chakra and power in the air. It was unreal. I had never felt Pein this mad before. "You're peace results in violence towards us."

"I'm not saying everything Konohagakure has done has been right! But I won't accept your way of doing things!" Tsunade shouted.

"Watch what you say. This is your last warning from god. Tell me where Naruto is." There were now minutes of silence as nobody here would reveal Naruto's hiding place.

"We will use everything we have to fight you! That is all! And you're wrong about one thing. You'll never get what you want most!" Tsunade answered.

"If you think Konoha's ninjas can protect Naruto forever-"

"That's not it." Tsunade interrupted Pein. "Naruto is strong."

Pein suddenly closed his eyes, before opening them and smirked slightly.

"It seems Naruto isn't here, but in Myobokuzan. Myobokuzan, that's the frog village isn't it? Looks like there's no reason to hang around here anymore."

"You bastard." Tsunade growled.

"Tsunade, we should let him go and use that time to strengthen our protection of the village." One of the ANBU whispered to Tsunade.

"No!" I growled, and they all turned to look at me. "We can't let him go! Now that he knows where Naruto is, Naruto's in danger! If we stop him here Naruto can continue his training or whatever he's doing in Myobokuzan!"

"And one last thing." Pein piped up as he turned around. "The chakra in your feet... is that to guard against my technique? I guess that means you know all about my powers. Everything is meaningless in the face of overwhelming power. You great nations have proven that.

"You think you're the only ones who matter. You think you can put off death. But peace has made you foolish and thoughtless. You kill someone, someone else will kill you. Hatred binds you together. Isn't that right, Koinu?" Pein turned and looked in to my eyes, and I closed mine and looked down. He was right. My team had been killed by Orochimaru, and since then I'd wanted to kill him. Sasuke killed Orochimaru and Itachi, so now I had to kill him to prove something.

"War. Brings pain and injury and death to both sides." Pein continued when I was silent.

"The great nations have suffered too! I've had enough of your accusations!" Tsunade shouted.

"Don't make me laugh. I want you to feel pain, to think about pain, to accept pain, to know pain. Those who don't know pain can never know true peace." Pein said as he bent down, and leaped high in to the sky. I glared after him as did everyone else on that roof. However, when Tsunade leaped up to follow him, the ANBU and I followed without hesitation, though I could feel that something bad was about to happen. I was wrong.

Something horrible was about to happen.

"Shinra Tensei!" Pein shouted as his arms and legs spread out. Suddenly, his force push happened. But it was multiplied by tons. The force knocked me back, far. I was separated from Tsunade and the ANBU, landed in to a building and was crushed under the rubble. I couldn't see it, but I had seen the devastation this technique had done before.

The village was destroyed.


	24. Demons Released!

**Chapter 24: Demons Released!  
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I waited until it didn't sound like everything was flying around anymore, until I started trying to push everything out of my way. I was crushed under tons of rubble, and pain shot from my left shoulder when I tried to move it, so I might've broken it. And I knew I'd broken a few ribs, and my ankle was throbbing. All in all, I was pretty banged up. When I finally pushed myself above the rubble, and crawled over it to look around, I was still shocked even though I knew what it would look like.

Everything was destroyed. There was a large crater that rose up around the edges, blocking the actual crater from view unless you move to the lip of it. I groaned as I got to my feet, and turned around. Everything from the village was destroyed. Buildings, lives, families... it was horrible. The only thing NOT destroyed was the Hokage Mountain Faces.

I stumbled out of the rubble in a slight daze, before traveling along the base of the lip, until I heard someone calling me.

"Koinu!" I turned at the familiar voice, to find Sakura with a Hyuuga, whose Byakugan was activated. "Naruto's back!" She shouted, and I blinked in shock. I turned around, and began limping up the ledge, but Sakura was at my side in an instant, pulling me back. I followed reluctantly, and she practically shoved me to the ground as I sat down next to the Hyuuga.

"Let me heal your injuries first." Sakura smiled lightly at me. I sighed in slight frustration, before a thought occurred to me as she began healing my ankle first.

"Tsunade! Hyuuga is she okay?" I shouted. The man, however, was intent on watching what I guessed was Naruto and Pein. I cursed under my breath as my ankle popped in to place, and I grunted in pain, before it felt instantly better. Than Sakura went to healing my ribs, and while she was healing my shoulder the Hyuuga gasped.

"What?" I demanded.

"There... There are six of them... six Pein... and, and the Fifth is there too now!" I blinked in shock. How stupid was Tsunade! She went out there blatantly? With only Naruto for help? Sure, Naruto might be better than before, but he wasn't a match for Pein!

I actually cried out as my shoulder popped in to place, before hopping to my feet quickly, testing everything to make sure it was good. Aside from a few bumps and bruises and scrapes, I was good to go.

"Thanks, Sakura." I said as I bent down to leap to Naruto and Tsunade's aid.

"Amazing!" The Hyuuga gasped.

"What?" I asked, stopping instantly.

"Naruto! He took out one of the Pein's in one hit!" I stopped short. Naruto? Defeated a Pein in one hit? I gulped, before I heard someone else join us.

"Oh thank god!" I turned to find Kiba running towards us, before suddenly he swamped me in a bear hug. I heard barking come behind him from Akamaru. I was in complete shock, before Kiba let me go. "I was so worried!" He said as he let me go.

"Sorry, Kiba. I was worried about you too, but right now I gotta go help Naruto fight Pein." I turned once again to go fight Pein, but was stopped.

"No, you can't! It's too dangerous!" Kiba protested. I turned to face him, and our eyes locked.

"Kiba, I've been running with these guys for three years. I can hold my own. Plus, I know more on these guys than you do. I'll be fine." I added the last with a smile. However, suddenly a giant toad landed next to us. I turned after Sakura shouted out Tsunade's name, to see Sakura holding Tsunade's hand after seemingly having healed her.

Tsunade and I locked eyes, and she shook her head.

"Tsunade, I have to go. I have to go help." I couldn't believe she wasn't going to let me go. However, she shook her head.

"DAMMIT, TSUNADE! If Naruto finds out that Pein was taught under Jiraiya he'll freak! You might have confidence in him but if he finds out and hears Pein's full idea of the world he'll snap. He'll go Nine-tails. I can guarantee that." I shouted.

"What exactly is Pein's full idea then, Koinu?" Sakura asked, and I sighed.

"It was everything Jiraiya wanted, all he wanted was peace between everyone, and if Naruto followed anything from Jiraiya he'll believe the same thing. However, Pein believes none of it. He believes the world will never know peace because of the pain that exists. There will always be hatred and pain, and because of that there will never be peace."

"He's mastered sage mode, Koinu. You'll only be getting in his way." Tsunade said determinedly. I sighed and glared at her, clenching my fists tightly. Booms and shouts could be heard coming from the battle.

"He just threw his Rasenshuriken!" The Hyuuga shouted.

I looked at Tsunade, who shook her head. Dammit. I sighed and sat down, I would leave eventually, but I would wait a bit longer I guess. A few minutes later there were large thump like explosions. I looked at the Hyuuga, who was mesmerized in the fight. A few minutes later he gasped.

"The old small toad was killed, and Pein stabbed one of his rods through Naruto's hands. He can't move now." He explained.

I stood up and stared at Tsunade, who only stared back at me as everyone else around us but the Hyuuga watched us. A few minutes passed until the Hyuuga spoke again.

"Naruto has now been stabbed multiple times with chakra receivers."

That was it. It was time to go. Fuck what Tsunade said. I wasn't going to stand by and let Naruto get taken captive and killed. I ran without a word up the lip of the crater, and stopped at the top. The crater was huge. Luckily, Naruto and Pein were fighting halfway between the middle of the crater and where I was at. However, I saw a girl running suddenly at Pein, and I channeled chakra in to my eyes to see everything sharper. What I saw shocked me.

It was Hinata Hyuuga.

I watched in horror as she hopelessly fought Pein to protect Naruto. She fought valiantly, though she knew she would die. In the end, Pein stabbed her with a chakra receiver right in front of Naruto. When I heard the Hyuuga by everyone else gasp in horror before explaining what had happened, I knew it was all going down hill, and I instantly shot off.

"NARUTO NO!" I shouted as loud as I could. When I was close enough, I leaped at Pein from behind, fist clenched tightly. "DAMN YOU PEIN!" I lunged when I was close enough, however Naruto had thoroughly snapped. His chakra basically exploded from his body. The shock wave sent me flying back, on top of Pein having used his technique to send me flying too, so I flew over the lip of the crater. I grunted as I slammed in to the ground close to the group I'd been by.

I coughed for a few seconds, before getting up instantly, surprisingly close to the group I'd been by. You could feel the dark power from Naruto. It was horrible. He was giving in to the Kyuubi so quickly. Suddenly I felt like my insides were being clawed out. I screamed in pain, clutching my stomach and falling to my knees. Tsunade, Sakura, and Kiba were upon me almost instantly.

"What's wrong?" Kiba was the first to ask.

"Garou wants out. He's never wanted out so bad." I screamed again, louder and longer than I ever had before. "I don't know why he wants out so bad!" There was a loud explosion that was matched with my screaming too.

"There are six tails around Naruto! At this rate he might fully transform!" I heard the Hyuuga shout. Was that why Garou wanted out? Did he want to pit demon against demon?

...Or did he want to get away?

"Katsuyu, please hurry and tell everyone to get out of here and take shelter as far away as possible." Sakura ordered.

I screamed again as Garou tried even harder to get out. I kept him from leaving purely on instinct, and of the fact that I knew I would probably never be a human again afterwords. If anything I'd be a fragment of Garou forever. If that. I began hearing the Hyuuga and Sakura talking about how Pein and Naruto were getting further away, however, it didn't stop Garou. If anything he fought harder.

"DAMMIT!" I screamed, bringing my knees to my chest in pain. At this rate I wouldn't last much longer... I would snap against my own will. I rolled on my side once, to find a giant ball of stone forming in the sky. It was huge, and I could see a black form hopping from it at one point, until it was slammed in to the rock by multiple smaller ones. And then the pain intensified.

I screamed and wouldn't... couldn't stop. And then it just broke. I couldn't hold it anymore. The seal broke. My chakra erupted in a giant wave of purple as I flew off of the ground and was suspended in midair, having pushed the group away from me. I was suspended in midair. My teeth and claws were growing thicker and wider. My skin was starting to peel away, and my eyes were turning a brighter yellow, my pupils turning to thin slits. I began growing, growing tons of times larger than myself. When the transformation was over, a giant wolf stood in my place. About the same size as Gamabunta, Garou stood absolutely still, studying his surroundings. He was finally free. And from what? He could sense the Nine-Tails breaking free. It was time to get the hell away from there.

Suddenly a lady in a green cloak landed on his snout, glaring at him. He blinked, before snorting and sending her flying away. He looked up at the giant rock ball in the sky as there was a loud roar, to find the Kyuubi (minus fur and the such) breaking out of it.

"Hey, Wolf Demon!" The lady shouted as she landed on his muzzle again. Garou glared at her. Why did she have to bother him?

"What?" His voice boomed. Loud and rough, the demon was very intimidating. He had once gone toe to toe with Shikaku, and had won. Had Shikaku not run when Three-Tails had shown up he might've been banished right now.

"Why did you force your way out of Koinu?" She shouted.

"Because of the Nine-Tails. I'm leaving. I don't intend to die." Garou replied loudly as he lifted a paw and pointed with a claw at the fox erupting out of the rock ball. Tsunade turned to look, and was shocked, but to ehr credit she turned back around.

"Look, Koinu hasn't gotten herself killed yet. While she's headstrong, she's a smart and resourceful girl. I'm sure she won't get herself killed. Just let her back in control, alright?"

Garou looked at the old lady. Who did she think she was? Did she think that he'd let another human throw him inside a human being again? He wasn't stupid enough to make the same mistake twice. While he was thinking all of these things, there was a loud 'poof'. He looked at the rock ball as the old lady did the same, only to find the Kyuubi gone, and a boy replacing it.

The lady sighed in relief. And then turned back to him.

"Bring Koinu back, or else."

"Or else what? Why would I bring a human back in control of me?"

"Dammit, Wolf!"

"I can't bring her back anyway, lady. She's gone. It was done when the seal broke. Deal with it. It was like she ever said and thought her whole life: Nobody that lived cared about her anymore. It was that way ever since her team and Itachi where killed."

The lady was silent for a moment as she looked at her feet, before looking up at him with a fierce determination.

"Listen here. She has people that care about her. If not then, she definitely does now. She's a ninja of Konoha. No matter her past, she is now one of us. Now bring her back, or I will have every single member of our village hunt you down. I will have you sent to the worst corner of hell that you'll be BEGGING to be put in another body." The lady threatened.

* * *

><p>It was so dark. It was darker than dark. When it was dark, your eyes at least adjusted and then you could kind of see. In this dark, no matter how long you stared your eyes never adjusted, and you could never see. It was warm too, but not hot. It was a comfortable warm.<p>

"Where am I?" I whispered to myself. I couldn't remember much. I remembered going to fight Pein, being pushed away, Hinata dying, and then...

Oh, right. Naruto went Nine-Tails, and Garou fought out. So, did that mean?

"Am I dead?" I whispered. I wondered if this was where I would go until I went on to wherever else I would go. Unless this was the end. Being stuck in a black hole until the end of time.

I tried moving forward, but it was like trying to walk through mud that was up to my waist. It wouldn't let me, but I could force myself to move a little. I sighed in defeat and stopped, standing there. Where was I? I don't know. I wouldn't be able to answer you. I had accepted the fact that I was dead. That I wasn't getting out. I just wished it had been a different place.

"Bring Koinu back, or else." I heard a familiar voice, though it sounded like it was being muffled by water or something. I could barely make out what they were saying, and I definitely couldn't tell who it was. I sank to my knees, wondering what was going on.

"Or else what? Why would I bring a human back in control of me?" A loud, rough voice spoke, though it was as if it shook me to my very core. It came from everywhere around me, as if I were inside of whoever spoke.

"Dammit, Wolf!" The distorted voice spoke again, though I could at least make out the fact that it was a lady. I then realized that whoever it was, was speaking to Garou.

"I can't bring her back anyway, lady. She's gone. It was done when the seal broke. Deal with it. It was like she ever said and thought her whole life: Nobody that lived cared about her anymore. It was that way ever since her team and Itachi where killed." Garou spoke again, and I wanted to die. Though I was already dead. Was this my punishment for running with the Akatsuki for three years? Was I doomed to hear of Garou talking about how nobody cared about me anymore.

I wrapped my arms around my stomach, and didn't realize until there were tears on my arms that I was actually crying. There was a space of silence, until the distorted voice spoke again. However this time, it was loud and clear, not muffled at all.

"Listen here. She has people that care about her. If not then, she definitely does now. She's a ninja of Konoha. No matter her past, she is now one of us. Now bring her back, or I will have every single member of our village hunt you down. I will have you sent to the worst corner of hell that you'll be BEGGING to be put in another body." It was Tsunade. I could tell that much easily.

I stared straight ahead in shock. Even though she might have hinted around it or something, this was the first time she had actually come out and said that I was a ninja of Konoha. That I was cared about again.

I sat in absolute silence. Either Garou and Tsunade were no longer speaking, or I couldn't hear them anymore. Finally, I stood up, and snarled loudly. It echoed, and I don't know how I did, but I knew I could get out. And I would. If people cared about me now, it was time to let them. Besides, not a bone in my body was trained to give up. I'd been taught and trained to fight until the last breath. Garou wasn't getting the best of me.

It was time to put this pup in his place.

* * *

><p>Garou glared at the lady on his nose, about to put her in her place, until he felt odd. There was an odd sucking sensation coming through him, from his core. Suddenly, his fur began peeling away. The lady on his nose was shocked to the point where she leaped off of him, landing on the ground.<p>

"What's happening?" Garou demanded as his fur began peeling away, his pupils grew back to round dots, and his eyes darkened a little. His teeth and claws dulled, and he began shrinking in size. He roared in pain as his tail, snout, and ears began shrinking in to his spine and skull, before suddenly he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

The group that had been staring at the demon wolf, gasped in shock as they found Koinu Hashitaki lying on the ground in place of the wolf, barely conscious. However instead of being normal, she was surrounded in dark, purple chakra. She had wolf ears and a tail, but instead of the normal demon chakra cloaks like Naruto Uzumaki's or her previous ones, it was significantly different.

The seal that was permanently on her stomach was visible in the chakra, along with her curse mark on her neck. It was as if they were apart of the chakra. There were also multiple different black signs surrounding her, as if they were also apart of the chakra. The chakra was significantly different too. Instead of looking like a normal cloak of chakra, it looked like a cloak of purple flames. They moved with her body, but it was also only an inch thick maybe. It was formed to her body perfectly.

Her eyes too, had changed. They were bright yellow, and the pupils were tiny slits too. But as everyone watched, they changed back to normal, and the chakra slipped away as Koinu Hashitaki passed out.

"Wh-wh-what was that?" Sakura stuttered.

There was a minute of silence, before Tsunade answered.

"I've never seen it-only heard of it-but I think Koinu may have just mastered Garou. I've heard that that happens when one with a demon inside of them separates the demon's chakra from theirs-but I never thought it was true... or possible for that matter."


	25. Kill the Wolf, not the Hawk

**A/N: So in the previous chapter, I know I had Tsunade past when she was supposed to fall unconscious, blah blah blah. But that was only for story purposes. Just read now.  
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**Chapter 25: Kill the Wolf, not the Hawk  
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I woke up maybe a couple of hours later, but I was still in the same spot. I shot up, to find Kiba and the Hyuuga from before with me. Kiba's face broke in to a wide grin and he mauled me in a hug. I didn't ask him what had happened, I remembered every part of it. Even the weird chakra that had surrounded me. I smiled at Kiba as he leaned back, and looked around.

"Where's Tsunade? And Sakura? Has Naruto returned?"

"Woah calm down with the twenty questions! Geez! Sakura and Tsunade went to go treat the wounded, but while they were gone everyone that was dead was suddenly brought back to life! Everyone's out in the crater waiting for Naruto to show up." Kiba explained. I blinked.

"So, Hinata's alive?" I asked, hopeful. Kiba nodded.

"At least I think. I haven't seen her yet if so."

"Let's go wait for Naruto!" I said, bouncing to my feet quickly.

It didn't take long for Kiba, Akamaru, and I to join the large crowd of villagers in waiting for Naruto. The Hyuuga went to go find his family. I sat on the ground while we waited for Naruto, in the front of the crowd by the forest I knew he would come out from somewhere. It was the closest spot to Pein's tower. I was still incredibly weak, but I wasn't dead weak either. I could at least move.

I turned around to talk to Kiba, my back to the forest. After a few minutes, everyone began shouting and cheering.

"Naruto!"

"Welcome back!"

"We believed in you!"

"You're a hero, Naruto!"

I turned around to find Kakashi carrying Naruto on his back, not far from us at all. Naruto was in complete shock as he saw the mass of people waiting for him. I stood up, and smirked at the blonde idiot, who still hadn't noticed me. He got off of Kakashi's back, only to have Sakura run up, punch the top of his head, and then thank him. Man, bipolar much?

Suddenly, a big crowd rushed Naruto, all of the villagers minus his best friends, and they picked him up and threw him in the air. I smiled at the scene. Naruto had always talked about how he wanted to be recognized as a good guy from everyone. Finally, he was. As the crowd lowered him and slowly began to disperse, Kakashi caught my eye, and tapped Naruto on the shoulder, and pointed at me. Naruto caught my eye, and a look of shock and then worry crossed his face. I smirked lightly, before grabbing the edges of my headband, and moving it slightly. Naruto saw that it was a Leaf Village's headband, and his face broke out in to a huge smile.

In a matter of seconds he had encased me in a bear hug.

Or maybe it was a fox hug.

I still don't know.

"Koinu! Oh my god! I can't believe it!" He finally put me down and I saw that tears were leaking from his eyes, though I knew they were tears of happiness. "I'm so happy!" He then hugged me again, though it wasn't a bear hug, but a more normal one. He released me and smiled at me again, though I saw something in his eyes that looked like he regretted something. Somehow, I knew it was because I had come back, but he still hadn't managed to bring Sasuke back.

Totally out of character, I hugged Naruto. While my head was near his ear, I whispered something so only he could hear it.

"We'll bring Sasuke back, Naruto, I promise." Though I knew it was a lie. Even if Sasuke did come back, I was going to kill him one way or the other.

Sakura and Kakashi walked up with Suzume, saying they needed to show us something. Kiba went to go find his family and team to make sure they were okay, so I went with Sakura. We arrived in a desolate area, but there was a large tent. We walked inside, to find an old lady who looked desolate unconscious lying in a bedroll.

"Is that Tsunade?" Naruto gasped, and when I looked closer I was shocked to find that it was in fact Tsunade.

"She used Katsuyu to protect the village." Sakura began to explain. "She's been unconscious ever since Koinu broke free from Garou." Kakashi and Naruto shot me questioning looks, and I waved it away as Sakura spoke again. "We don't know when she'll wake up."

"Tsunade..." Naruto muttered.

We left and went to join all of the other ninja, who were busy scouring the area for reusable wood. Some Yamato guy that had been with Naruto the one time we had met had used a jutsu to rebuild a lot of buildings, but it obviously wiped him out. Naruto, Sakura, and I were sitting on a bench, as all of us were too worn out to really help right now.

"There's so much I want to tell Tsunade." Naruto muttered.

"Don't worry! I'm sure she'll wake up soon! She's the Hokage, after all! She's a strong woman! She'll be fine!" Sakura obviously lied. I rolled my eyes, before someone shouted Naruto and Sakura's names. All three of us looked up to see an old man and some kid who looked a few years younger than all of us.

"I never thought I'd see you heroes again, Naruto!" The kid laughed as he wiped sweat off with a rag that was around his neck.

"Inari! Tazuna!" Naruto shouted as he got to his feet.

The four of them began having a conversation after I was introduced to them, before Kakashi joined everyone. The old man then mentioned Sasuke, and I sighed as Sakura and Naruto turned doom and gloom.

"Ya see, Sasuke went away for a while after Naruto and him had a fight. I'm his replacement until we bring him back!" I smiled, pointing my thumb at my chest.

"Oh... well that's mighty kind of you, Koinu. What was the problem? Some sort of love triangle?" The old man asked.

"Of course not!" Naruto laughed.

After the old man and the boy left, Naruto spaced out.

"I understand now... how Sasuke felt." Naruto muttered, only to have Kakashi, Sakura, and I look at him in question. "I know what revenge is." It then cleared up for me, and I looked straight ahead. I knew how he felt. Having teammates and a master ripped from you, it sucked. But, I was determined to not let Naruto end up like I had. It seemed, however, that he wasn't going to let it get him down too much.

"I thought I understood him, but really I didn't. No wonder nothing I said got through to him..." Naruto muttered.

"Naruto." Sakura gasped.

"If I can't understand his pain, I can't laugh with him. No wonder he wouldn't even fight with me. It might hurt a lot, but I want to fight Sasuke for real next time. 'Cause I want Team 7 to laugh again, Sasuke included!" Naruto laughed at the end, and looked at me. "You included too, Koinu." I smiled and nodded.

Suddenly Kiba and Akamaru appeared.

"There you guys are!"

"Kiba! What is it?" Sakura was the first to ask.

"Listen! Just calm down and listen! Tsunade's been dismissed as Hokage! The 6th Hokage is some guy named Danzo! I don't know him but apparently he's pretty shady!"

"What!" Naruto shouted.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Kakashi muttered.

I was silent.

"That's not it! The new Hokage has given permission to dispose of Sasuke as a Missing-Nin." I turned my head to look at Naruto, who looked on in utter horror.

"What the hell do you mean?" He demanded.

"I don't know myself!" Kiba answered.

"They're not willing to wait for Tsunade to recover. It's not surprising. And it's true Sasuke is a Missing-Nin. The usual punishment for that is death. It's only because Tsunade was so lenient that he hasn't been killed yet." Kakashi informed all of us.

"I'm going to see Danzo!" Sakura growled, but before I could stop the idiot Kakashi did.

"Wait, Sakura! Storming in there and yelling at him won't solve anything!"

"But Tsunade hasn't even woken up yet! This isn't fair!" Sakura protested.

"I'm going too!" Naruto added.

"Calm down, both of you. You have to stay cool-headed about this. Danzo knows you'd react like this. what are you going to do when you talk to him?"

"I'm not going to attack him! I'm just going to ask him to change his mind about Sasuke!"

"I know you can't just leave it at that when it comes to Sasuke. The Jonins may not have voted yet, but Danzo is still the Hokage. You need to be careful, otherwise you may end up in jail."

"I don't care! I'm still going!" Naruto was stubborn as usual.

"Naruto you have the Nine-Tailed Fox within you. That's why Danzo wants to keep you in the village. You'll be playing right in to his hands. Then you won't be able to look for Sasuke at all. Stay calm." That stopped Naruto, finally.

After that, we all split up. I went to a nearby forest, and took a spot in a tree to get some rest. After I fell asleep, it didn't seem like long before Naruto woke me up. When I woke up I found him, Sakura, some guy who kind of look like Sasuke, and two Kumogakure ninja with them.

"What do you want, Uzumaki?" I asked as I stood up.

"I need you to tell these guys all you know about the Akatsuki." He explained. I looked at the two Kumogakure ninja, and then yawned.

"Why should I?" I asked.

"Because our master was taken! And he's a host! Naruto says he might still be alive!" The male out of the two shouted, I blinked in shock. Host? Kumogakure? Great...

"Yeah, I kinda know about that... didn't realize it took Sasuke so long to capture him." I muttered.

"What do you mean?" The woman from Kumogakure asked.

"I was sent on the retrieval mission to go get the Eight-Tails with Sasuke and his team. However I bailed the night before they fought the Jinchuriki, because of... stuff. That was right before I resigned from the Akatsuki. I didn't know it had taken Sasuke so long to capture him. He must have been stronger than we thought." I muttered.

"You wanted to capture our master?" The man screamed, running to get in my face, but I didn't flinch.

"Like I said, I resigned. Do you think that as a fellow demon host, I ever WANTED to capture them, only to have them die? It was apart of the deal. When nobody will take you in as a normal human being, you'll go to anybody, no matter what the conditions. I'm not proud of my decisions, but I won't deny them either." I said as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Tell us about Sasuke." The girl demanded, and I shrugged.

"I don't know much about him, but I'll tell you what I know about the remaining Akatsuki members. Naruto, you said Pein is dead, and that Konan resigned, right?" I asked the blonde ninja that was standing a little bit away from me.

"The paper girl? Yeah."

"Right. So that leaves Kisame Hoshigaki, Tobi, and Zetsu. Kisame is from the Mist Village. He is a water ninja, and wields the sword Samehada, which literally eats an opponent's chakra when it strikes said opponent, or the area around them. Zetsu has two different parts; one white and one black. Both have different personalities and they can split in to separate bodies. Not much is known about his fighting techniques. As for Tobi, he claims to be Madara Uchiha, long believed to be deceased. He cannot be physically hit, and he wears a mask with one eye hole. Said eye reveals a sharingan, but as with Zetsu I do not know much about him. All in all, if you end up meeting a masked man in an Akatsuki cloak, run." I finished.

The girl and man nodded, before looking at Naruto. "Will you tell us about Sasuke?" Naruto nodded, and then they walked away, but Sakura and the kid that looked kind of like Sasuke went off on their own. I felt a little better from my nap, but I was still tired. However, I knew I wasn't going to get anymore sleep, so I went out to search the rubble near where my house should've been between all the debris.

While I was looking, I was looking for one thing. Finally, I found the familiar wooden frame, and the glass was shattered. I didn't want the frame anyway. I wanted the picture inside. I dug at the glass with my nails, breaking it apart until I could pull the picture out without harming it. Surprisingly, it wasn't damaged much. It was the picture of me and my previous team. I followed it once in half, and then that part in half again, before putting it in one of the pockets on the inside of my cloak that zipped closed.

I wandered the village for a while, not really having much to do. People started clearing and going to their tents and what not as the sun began falling, but I continued walking around. Soon, I surprisingly found Naruto sitting on a stack of wood, holding a popsicle meant for two people. Even from a distance, I knew he was crying. I could only guess that it involved Jiraiya. I sighed and walked up to him, but he didn't look up at me. I carefully grabbed the popsicle stick that he didn't hold, before snapping the half of the popsicle off.

Naruto's tear-streaked face shot up to look at me, and I smiled as I held my popsicle up.

"Jiraiya was a good guy, Naruto. I know it sucks, but he wouldn't want to see you like this." I knew it was hypocritical, but I didn't want Naruto to remotely end up like I had after my team had been killed. I took a bite of the half-melted popsicle, before sitting down next to Naruto. I only now realized he had bandages over his right eye, but I decided not to ask. He'd tell me if he wanted to.

"Hey, Koinu, I need to ask you something." Naruto said.

"What's that?"

"In the morning I'm going with Kakashi and Yamato to go talk to the Raikage. I was hoping you'd come?" I smiled as Naruto looked up at me hopefully, and nodded.

"Sure. I'd love to." I was slightly surprised to find him beaming at my answer. I only wanted to go to get out of here. I needed to get around outside of the village, and maybe get some action in too.

I went to the tent I'd been assigned after the battle after we had finished eating our popsicles, and I packed my bag quickly. I dropped my bag next to my bag when I jumped in to bed, and thought about what was going to happen tomorrow. What happened if we ran in to Sasuke while we were out? Sure, he was a member of Team 7. We were doing this to help him. But at the same time, I wanted him dead. He'd killed the man who'd killed my old team... maybe I should be grateful for that? But it'd been my goal since my team's death to kill Orochimaru myself. Plus, Sasuke killed the only guy I'd actually considered a sensei since my old team. The closest I had to one now was Kakashi, but it'd take time for that bond to establish if it ever did.

The next morning I grabbed my bag and threw it on, before meeting Naruto, Kakashi, and Yamato at the gate. We turned, however, and went to a field before Yamato began using his skills to find the team of Kumogakure ninjas. We all had on our traveling cloaks over our regular outfits, so I had two cloaks on. Not that I was complaining. Finally, Yamato found them, and stood up. The rest of us followed suit, and followed Yamato as he began tracking the team.

It took a while, but later that day we hit the mountains the the Kage were meeting at in the Land of Iron. It was snowing, so I pulled my cloak up as we ran. Naruto sneezed, and remarked on how it had gotten cold, before being told to shut up by Yamato.

"Hey, Kakashi?" I whispered so we wouldn't be detected.

"Hm?"

"Instead of ninja, doesn't the Land of Iron have Samurai?" I asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I wonder how tough they are." I muttered, staring up at the mountains. I wanted to fight a samurai, but at the same time I didn't really want to have a fight to the death.

We weren't that far behind the Kumogakure ninja. Suddenly, they stopped. Quickly, we ducked behind a few boulders that were in the area. Naruto and Yamato were behind one, while Kakashi and myself were behind the other. We waited maybe half an hour before a group of three ninja leaped in to the area in front of the team we'd been tracking. One was rather large, and the other two acted like bodyguards for him. As I looked at him, he looked a lot like the eight tails' host. Could that be the Raikage?

"We have returned from Konohagakure." The girl we'd been tracking reported.

"How did it go?" The man I suspected as the Raikage asked.

"Samui, someone followed you." One of the bodyguards said, turning slightly around. "Come out Konoha dogs!" He shouted.

Caught, we all complied and leaped out from behind the boulders, ready for a fight if it came.

"You're not bad if you were able to track Samui." The man said.

"Damn it, Naruto!" The Kumogakure girl I'd met shouted.

"Did the Hokage send you, Kakashi?" The big man asked suddenly.

"No, we have a favor to ask of you. Naruto Uzumaki of Konohagakure wishes to speak with you. Please listen to him." Kakashi answered as Naruto moved to be the point of our group.

"Don't you think that's a little rude?" The man who'd caught us muttered. "You didn't ask ahead for an audience and we're on the way to a meeting."

"We're well aware of that." Kakashi answered.

"All right. The blonde kid there, right? Spit it out!" The Raikage growled.

Naruto took a moment to calm down, before looking straight in to the Raikage's face.

"I want you to stop Sasuke Uchiha's execution."

"Are you still on about that?" The Kumogakure girl I knew asked.

"I can't believe it." The man from Kumogakure that I knew muttered.

"I know it's a lot to ask!" Naruto suddenly shouted. "But I have to try! Sasuke's my friend! I can't sit back and watch him be killed, and I don't Sasuke to be the cause of a war between Konoha and Kumo! I don't want either of us to get caught up in revenge!" He pleaded.

The Raikage was silent for only a moment.

"Let's go." He commanded, he was about to turn around, but stopped.

"I'm begging you!" Naruto shouted even louder as he slammed to the ground on his hands and knees. "I don't want anyone else getting killed for revenge! All Sasuke ever thought about was revenge! It consumed and changed him. He was driven mad by it, and because of it he's not the same guy I used to know! I don't want that to happen to anyone else! I don't want people from Konoha and Kumo to kill each other! So... please..." It was then that I noticed that Naruto had started to cry.

There was silence as everyone stared at Naruto, who's headband was now sitting in the snow as he bent over. Then the Raikage spoke up.

"I will kill Sasuke. It's up to you to make sure it stops there." The Raikage answered. There was more silence, but then Yamato spoke up.

"When you went after the Hyuga's Byakugan Konoha never did anything to retaliate. You're actions could've started a war! But we swallowed our bloody tears in order to prevent that. Don't forget that you exist because of our precious sacrifices."

"This young ninja before you may not be skilled at this, but he's begging you... for the sake of both Kumo and Konoha. Raikage, as one of the Kage, what is your opinion of this?" Kakashi asked.

"A ninja shouldn't be so quick to bow before another! Ninjas respect action and strength! There should be no compromise between ninjas. The history of the human race is a history of war. Ever since the three great ninja wars... every country, every village has fought for the strongest techniques. The weak will be crushed! That is the inescapable truth of our world!

"Akatsuki will be internationally wanted criminals. Then the whole world will be after Akatsuki, not just me. You beg for the mercy of a criminal, for the safety of your friends, but in the ninja world we don't call that friendship!" The Raikage began walking forward, to move past us. "Kid, think about what you must do! You won't get far in this war if you keep acting so stupidly!"

I almost let the Raikage and his group pass me, but on a whim i held my arm out, stopping the Raikage only from pure shock. I had no doubt that he could've broken my arm if he wanted to.

"Idiot girl! What are you doing?" The man growled. I watched as Yamato, Kakashi, and Naruto looked at me in shock.

"I was a member of the team that went to catch your brother. I was with Sasuke." I informed the Raikage, looking at him as I spoke. I opened my mouth to continue, but before I could the Raikage had grabbed me by my throat and held me high in the air. I couldn't breath. My neck was being crushed, and as I stared in to the Raikage's eyes, there was fury in them.

"Raikage! Please, put her down!" Kakashi shouted suddenly. Surprisingly, the Raikage complied, and dropped me in to the snow. I coughed and spluttered on the ground, but got to my feet after I'd caught my breath. I glanced at Naruto's tear-streaked face, smirked, and turned back t the Raikage with a calm face. It was time to lie my ass off.

"Raikage, I fought your brother. I did more than Sasuke ever did to capture your brother. However, for my own personal reasons after we'd capture your brother I gave him to Sasuke so that I could go do what I needed to do. So, if I hadn't had to go I would be the one to be said to have killed your brother. Not Sasuke." I took a deep breath, surprised my head hadn't been ripped off yet.

"Please, kill me and leave Sasuke alone. Take my life and end his execution."

**A/N: Before anybody says it, I realize the scene with Naruto crying over Jiraiya was over before the fight, but I added it in to the story because I thought it'd be a nice touch! Please review, I love getting them! :) I hope you liked the chapter, and sorry for the horrible cliffhanger!  
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**Also, sorry for not updating my story in a little bit, I was busy and then forgot what I was going to do with the story at first, but then I had a different idea that would work, so I went with that! :)  
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	26. Explanations and Confessions

**A/N: I don't own anything Naruto. Only copies of the manga and some DVD's :)  
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**Chapter 26: Explanations and Confessions  
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There was silence. Complete and utter silence. It practically made my ears ring. Kakashi and Naruto knew I was lying, but the Raikage didn't. I knew that much for a fact. Suddenly, everything broke out in chaos. The Raikage lunged at me but Kakashi pushed me out of the way and in to the snow. Naruto leaped in front of me, blocking me from the Raikage. Yamato brought wood tendrils out of the ground, where they clasped up and closed over the Kumogakure ninjas, keeping them in a sort of cage. The Raikage was the only one not in the cage.

I coughed and spat the snow from my mouth, glaring at Kakashi.

"What the hell was that for?" I shouted.

"While I'm sure Naruto appreciates it, Koinu, you don't have to give your life up for Sasuke." Kakashi replied evenly, and thus confused the Raikage.

"I'm not trying to protect Sasuke! Dammit! I want to kill Sasuke myself! But if a Kumogakure ninja kills him then we'll have a war on our hands! On top of the shit we have to deal with Madara! If I die than we end the ordeal with Kumogakure and we end the notion of me killing Sasuke too!"

Naruto glanced behind at me, confusion written everywhere. "You... you want to kill Sasuke?"

"He killed Itachi, Naruto. Itachi was the closest person I've been to since my team was killed by Orochimaru." I answered as I stood up. Naruto looked hurt. "You wanted to kill Pein after you found out he'd killed Jiraiya, didn't you?" He nodded. "That's how it is. But where Pein had some weird, twisted belief, Sasuke has none. He does what he wants for revenge. So he'll die from revenge himself one day."

Naruto turned to look forward again. I felt bad, but at the same time I didn't. I shoved passed him and stood in front of him, looking at the Raikage.

"So are you going to kill me, Raikage? I'm the one who had your brother killed! Don't you want revenge?" I shouted, jabbing my thumb in to my chest.

Ignoring his confusion, the Raikage roared and charged at me, passing Kakashi easily. If I was going to die, which I was ready to do right now, I wasn't going to die without a fight. I dove to my left, under the Raikage's arm. I spun on my heel and kicked snow up in to the Raikage's eyes, before pivoting and kicking the man's chest. It was like I had hit a rock.

And then it was like that rock had suddenly hit my stomach, never having moved. I grunted, and flew back. I flew back hundreds of feet, before I finally smacked the ground and stopped. I coughed, blood dripping from my mouth. I glanced up, only finding the Raikage a few feet from me. I brought my arms up just in time as he kicked my arms, or what would've been the right side of my head. I shot to the left, rolling for what felt like ever but was only a few seconds. Man, he was fast!

I smacked my hands in to the snow to stop myself from rolling, already knowing the Raikage was near me. I created clones instantly, making two grab my arms and throw me one way, away from the Raikage before they were dispelled. I turned around to face the Raikage as I flew, holding my palm out as he chased after me. A beam of my darkness chakra shot out and caught him by surprise, clipping his cheek. His cheek cut open, blood swelling out of it. Yes. I could win if I could only get some of that blood.

I formed a dark Rasengan in my right hand, landing a second later and taking of to meet the Raikage. I lunged forward, hitting him square in the chest. I knew what had happened instantly, but even then it was too late. The Raikage shot out and slammed his fist in to my back, shooting me off of my feet and forward. I hit the ground hard, but rolled for a few more feet.

It took a minute, but I managed to get to my feet. The Raikage was only a few feet from me, and his fist was aimed at my head. I felt my headband slip, and knew it was going to fall to the ground by the time the Raikage got there. I was going to die.

Great. I was going to die after having been pummeled to a pulp.

Unless.

I tapped in to Garou's chakra. I hadn't accessed it or tried to access it since the fight with Pein. But I felt the chakra surround me. The chakra that once used to bubble around me now formed perfectly to my body, though you could tell it looked like flames. Dark purple flames, that is. I had a tail and ears, along with the black seal on my stomach, curse mark, and random black signs here and there in the chakra.

I instantly felt stronger.

My headband slide off of my face and hit the ground, and the Raikage was upon me. But I could see him now as he swung his fist at me. I reached up and caught it, sliding back a bit but managing to hold myself up now. I took a deep breath, before reaching my hand up. I managed to wipe off some of the blood from his cut, thankful that the cut hadn't been part of the clone.

I leaped away quickly as the Raikage tried to hit me, before landing and wiping the blood in to the middle of my palm.

"Naruto!" I shouted, quickly turning to look at him. Naruto looked at me confusion. "Get over here and turn my Rasengan in to that Rasenshuriken thing you can do!" I shouted. I turned back and leaped away, closer to Naruto, as the Raikage slammed his fist in to the ground where I had been at. I formed a regular Rasengan in my palm, and knew Naruto was next to me as I heard him run up, and add his wind chakra to my Rasengan. I glanced down momentarily, and saw it form. I smirked. I'd only have a limited amount of time after Naruto stopped channeling his chakra in to it to throw it at the Raikage.

I looked back up, to see the Raikage running at me. "All right!" I shouted. "Stop!" He stopped and moved back as I reared my arm back, before I shot it forward. The Rasenshuriken shot forward, straight at the Raikage. However, the Raikage only leaped over it, before continuing to run at me. Naruto groaned, thinking it was over. I smirked, before leaping to the side, pulling Naruto with me as the Raikage shot passed. I then pointed at the Rasenshuriken, which was turning around and spinning right back at the Raikage.

Naruto looked at me in confusion, and I held up my palm, with the Raikage's blood in the middle. "Remember when my Dark Chakra Beams were trained on you 24/7 because I had your blood? I can do it with all of my techniques." I winked at him, watching as the Raikage turned to run at us again, before he saw the Rasenshuriken. It was about to hit him, before suddenly it was swallowed up, and disappeared. Naruto, the Raikage, nor I moved. We only stared at the air in confusion. I then understood.

"Dammit, Kakashi!" I shouted, turning to glare at the copy ninja, who had revealed his Sharingan, but was putting his headband back over it.

"If you kill the Raikage, Koinu, you will be starting a war yourself." Kakashi then moved in between myself and the Raikage. "Raikage, I apologize for this inconvenience. However, Koinu was lying about your brother and her being the one to kill him. I'm terribly sorry, but we will leave now."

"You damn brat! You've wasted my time! I'll make sure the Hokage knows EXACTLY why I'm late! What's your name?" The Raikage roared. I turned and retrieved my headband, tying it to my forehead as I returned to my team and released Garou's chakra. I was worn out.

"Koinu Hashitaki." I growled.

Yamato joined Naruto, Kakashi, and myself; releasing his wooden cage around the Kumogakure ninjas. After rude words and gestures, they turned and left. I spun around and began stalking down the path we'd come, before being stopped by Kakashi.

"What the hell was that about?" He shouted. "You almost killed or seriously injured the Raikage! That would've started a war instantly! One all of the villages would've been involved in because of the Kage meeting!"

"You think I care?" I shouted, yanking my wrist of Kakashi's grip and spinning around to glare at him. "Why do you even care? I would've given you the best chance you had of getting Sasuke back! Now Kumo still wants to kill him! Not to mention the fact that everyone else will want to kill him because of his affiliation with Akatsuki! I'm used to it, Hatake! I wouldn't have let him kill me anyway! I would've ran for the hills! I would've lived by myself to be hunted down! Sure, I would've been called a coward but since when do I care what people think of me?" I was breathing heavily by the time I was done yelling at him. As I went to turn and leave, my knee buckled underneath me and I hit the snow, coughing up a mouthful of blood that splattered the snow.

"Dammit." I muttered. I had been beat up pretty bad up until the end there. The Raikage was so fast.

"Kakashi, just leave her alone." Naruto muttered. I looked up at him but he wasn't looking at me, only at a spot in the snow to his left. "She obviously has her reasons for doing and saying what she did."

"Are you still freaked out because I said I wanted to kill Sasuke, Naruto? Because you can chill out about it. I don't know what I'll do when I see him anymore." I muttered, getting up.

Kakashi sighed in frustration. "We're staying at a hotel in a town around here. C'mon." Kakashi then led us to a relatively close town, where we stopped at a hotel. We picked our rooms. I got my own room, while Yamato, Kakashi, and Naruto stayed in their own. I was so tired, I collapsed and fell asleep as soon as I closed the door. However, I only had like two or three hours of sleep before I woke up from an explosion from the guys' room.

I threw my door open and ran down the hall, completely rejuvenated from my nap, and fell in line behind Yamato and Kakashi as they ran to their room too. We all ran in to the room with a huge hole in the wall and ceiling, Yamato tying up the intruder in wooden tendrils and blocking Naruto behind a cage of the wood, and Kakashi leaped behind the intruder and his left hand was covered in a Chidori.

I saw the black cloak and red clouds, and thought maybe it was Kisame. But a second later when I saw the mask my knees almost buckled in shock.

"Ah, Koinu. Good to see you." Madara's voice laughed lightly.

I gulped and bit my lip to stop it from trembling, before taking a deep breath.

"Get out of here, Madara! You'll have to do better if you want Naruto." I snarled.

Madara laughed. "Still so naive I see, Koinu. You see, I only want to talk for now."

"Talk?" Kakashi asked, his Chidori still in hand.

"Yes. Naruto, how did you get Nagato to betray me?" Madara asked.

"That doesn't matter! What are you gonna do to Sasuke?" Naruto shouted from behind the wooden cage.

"Sasuke, huh? All right, I'll tell you about a man who was eaten up by the ninja world's hatred and bitterness. I'll tell you about Sasuke Uchiha." Then, he went in to detail explaining what had happened to Itachi. Why he had left the village, why he'd REALLY killed his family. I clenched my teeth together, and closed my eyes. I refused to cry. Especially now, in front of Madara. I clutched my stomach. Why? Why did he HAVE to bring Itachi up? It brought back a memory of the time Itachi had told me what had happened himself.

* * *

><p><em>We had been traveling by ourselves. It'd been a year and a half since I'd joined Akatsuki. I was stronger than I'd ever been before.<em>

_"Itachi?" I asked.  
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_"Hm?"  
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_"Would you mind... telling me why you betrayed Konoha and joined the Akatsuki?" I asked, looking away. There was a moment's silence, and I grew apprehensive. "I mean. You don't have to, I was only wondering. I know it must be personal."  
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_"I don't mind telling you Koinu, as long as you don't tell anyone else." He said, turning to look at me from where he sat on his own rock. I looked at him, waiting for him to explain what had happened.  
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_"A while ago, after the Nine-Tails came and was sealed in to Naruto, the Uchiha were put on land in a remote corner of Konoha. We were treated horribly, so the Uchiha came together. And began to form a coup d'etat. So the village leaders planted a spy among them." He smiled when he looked at me. It was one of the few times I had and would ever see him genuinely smile at me. "I was the lucky winner to be chosen as the spy.  
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_"My father was the main one behind the whole plan. That was why I was chosen. Sasuke was too young to understand, and I was my father's pride and joy. Who would suspect Itachi Uchiha, loyal son to Fugaku Uchiha to be a spy? I joined the ANBU upon orders from the village. It was then that I became a double agent. My father wanted information about the village, because I was the only tie between the clan and the village. However, I was really giving the village information about the clan."  
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_"But, why would you betray you're clan?" I asked.  
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_"Koinu, while you've experienced death you haven't experienced war. It's horrible. Thousands and thousands of people die. I was only four during the 3rd Great Ninja War. I witnessed countless people's death. Thus, it scarred me. I loath war and hate. I only want peace, honestly. I know the village used this against me, used this to make me betray my clan. But I don't care anymore.  
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_"Then, the village gave me a top secret mission. To fight an Uchiha equally you both need the sharingan. They assigned me a top secret mission of wiping out my whole clan. It was horrible. Being told to kill you're entire family and clan... I don't wish it upon anyone. It should've been unthinkable for me to do it, but I didn't want the Uchiha starting a civil war within the village. It would've caused more turmoil than you might believe. Villages would've jumped at the idea to invade us while we were weak, and I didn't want more war. I didn't want my little brother to grow up the way I had after I'd seen and experienced war.  
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_"I was the only one to realize that Madara Uchiha was around. He'd lived, and he was back. So I sought him out. I told him that I would kill the whole clan, in exchange for him to not make any moves against the village. The Third Hokage refused to accept what was going on. He kept trying to convince all of the leaders that killing the Uchiha Clan wasn't the answer. That they could figure something else out.  
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_"Unfortunately, my time limit had run out. So I killed my clan. I killed my whole clan, except Sasuke, and fled the village to live as a wanted criminal for the rest of my life. I fulfilled the whole mission, except for the tiny little detail of my brother. I had plead with the Third Hokage to keep him safe from the other leaders, and to never let him know the truth. I wanted him to grow up believing that the Uchiha were the pride of the village. I threatened Danzou, the leader of the ANBU, before I left to leave Sasuke alone. I said I would tell every tiny little detail of the village to our enemy villages.  
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_"I had already decided that when I died, it would be by Sasuke when he grew strong enough. He still hasn't. I don't know if he'll grow as strong as he can by being with Orochimaru, but if that's what he wants to do than that's what he'll do. It's his life."  
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_"Itachi... why? After all of these years why are you telling me the truth so easily? Like you... like you trust me?" I asked. I looked back at Itachi, to find him smiling at me still.  
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_"Because you're like my little sister, Koinu. I'll die protecting you."  
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* * *

><p>I was crying. I only realized it as Madara called my name.<p>

"Koinu. You know why Itachi died fighting Sasuke when he did? Why he made sure you didn't interfere?" Madara asked. I only wiped the tears from my eyes and looked at Madara. He hadn't lied about any of it to Naruto, Kakashi, and Yamato. Why would he lie about this?

"He wanted you to go back to Konoha. To realize that I was only using you. He wanted you to go back to Konoha, to be 'safe' and to get stronger. He knew that, with his death, you would work to get stronger. And he was correct, yes? Haven't you been working harder than ever to kill Sasuke?"

I hung my head and looked at the floor. So, Itachi could still be alive? He chose to die when he did... for me and Sasuke?

"Liar!" Naruto shouted, slamming his fist on his wooden cage. "It's not true!"

"It... can't be..." Yamato muttered.

"We can't discuss Sasuke without first discussing Itachi." Madara said.

"Quit fooling around. I don't believe you." Kakashi growled.

"No, I'm not lying. That's the truth about Itachi. He died for his village, his brother, and who he considered his little sister: Koinu. Which reminds me, Koinu. His only regret before he died was that he couldn't eradicate the curse seal from you."

"You're lying. If it's true and Sasuke knows it, then why would he work with Akatsuki? He would follow Itachi's wishes and return to Konoha." Kakashi replied. I felt tears streaming down my cheeks again.

"Ha. As Sasuke's friend and teachers you guys think you know him, but you don't know him at all. You've got it all wrong. He's the real deal. He's a true avenger!"

"Did you do that to him?" Naruto shouted.

"No, I didn't. He chose it himself." Madara answered, rolling his visible eye.

"LIAR!" Naruto screamed, pounding on the wooden cage.

"I took a gamble. I didn't know if he would follow Itachi's wishes or choose revenge against Konoha. He chose revenge. That means, that he was always one of us. Isn't that right, Koinu? You've always been about revenge." I wiped the tears from my eyes again and glared up at Madara.

"Don't try to lie and say that you aren't. You wanted revenge against Orochimaru for killing your team, and then Sasuke for killing Orochimaru. Now you want it more than ever after he killed Itachi too, don't you?" I clenched my teeth and fists, not willing to admit that Madara was right.

"Anyway. Right now, Sasuke's only goal is vengeance for what they did to his clan and to Itachi. Maybe, Koinu, you should join Sasuke. If you truly cared about Itachi you would hate Konoha for what they did to him. Come with me, and I'll join you up with Sasuke again."

I stared down at the ground, my fists shaking.

"Please, Koinu." I heard Naruto's pitiful whisper. I looked over my shoulder, to see the blonde ninja close to tears. I hardened my heart. I knew what I was going to do. I turned back to Madara and glared at him.

"Leave. I quit Akatsuki, and that was the end of it. Itachi WANTED me back in Konoha, so back in Konoha is where I'm gonna stay." Naruto's face broke in to a smile, and I could see that Kakashi and Yamato were also smiling. Then, Naruto went back in to thinking about Sasuke.

"Why? Why? Why did this happen to him? Why did he fall in to revenge?" Naruto growled.

"He had no choice." Madara replied. "This is the hate-filled destiny of the Uchiha Clan. It's a curse that's followed us for generations."

"Hate-filled destiny?...curse?"

"Yes, the curse of hatred that began long ago with the founder of the ninjas, the Rikudo Sage, the Safe of the Six Paths."

"The Rikudo Sage? He's nothing but a myth. The Rinnegan is just a mutation." Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"The myth was based on real events." Madara shot back. "The Rikudo Sage preached the way of the ninja and tried to bring peace to the world. But when it was still but a dream, his time came. He had intrusted two boys with the power and will of the way of the ninja. The elder was born with the Sage's eyes, and was gifted with his powerful chakra and spiritual energy. He believed that might was the key to peace. The younger was born with the Sage's body, and was gifted with the Sage's life force and physical energy. He believed love was the key to peace.

"On his deathbed, the sage had to choose a successor. And this eternal curse of hatred was born from that decision." Madara explained.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"The sage believed it was the younger, not the older who was best-suited to be his successor, and chose him. Convinced that he should have been chosen, the elder attacked his brother in hatred. Time passed, and though their blood had thinned, the descendants of the two brothers still warred with each other. The older brother's descendants were called the Uchiha, and the younger brother's descendants were called the Senju. My battle with the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was fated.

"This is only the second time we've met, but I can tell that the fire of the Senju Clan dwells within you. I can see the First Hokage in you. Though he's dead, he still lives on. He was my rival, and I admired him. But I also hated him more than anyone else." There was a pause from Madara's explanation.

"Senju and Uchiha.

"Fire and Hatred.

"Naruto and Sasuke.

"You two have been chosen by fate. Revenge is the Uchiha Clan's destiny. Sasuke has taken on the hatred of the entire clan, and he will inflict that curse's hatred on the entire world. Hatred is his greatest weapon, his friend, and his strength. That, is Sasuke's dogma." Madara finished.

"Dammit, Madara." I muttered, though he appeared not to hear me.

"Naruto, someday you will have to fight Sasuke. Or rather, I will make you fight Sasuke. This fated battle has been long in coming. I will use Sasuke to force people to acknowledge the Uchiha Clan." Madara continued.

"Sasuke isn't your toy! You're out of line!" Naruto shouted.

"Do you think you can change Sasuke's heart as you did with Nagato's? If you want to control people's hearts, you have to use the darkness within them. Nagato was just too easily influenced." Madara replied.

"You and Nagato are nothing alike! He may have been going about it differently, but in his heart he wanted peace! But not you!" Naruto screamed back at him.

"Heh. You're right."

"If all you want is to make people acknowledge the Uchiha... then why do you need the tailed beasts? What the hell are you really after? What do you want?" Kakashi suddenly asked.

"Well, if you must know. It is to become complete." Madara answered, turning to fix Kakashi with his Sharingan, though it wouldn't work. Kakashi's Sharingan was also revealed, and his normal eye was closed.

"What do you mean?" Yamato asked.

"There's no use in telling you. There are other, more effective places to have this conversation." Madara began swirling, in the tell-tale sign that he was leaving.

"NO!" I shouted, pulling a kunai out and throwing it at the tiny hole that was the center of his swirling.

"It's been fun chatting. See ya." As soon as my kunai barely touched that hole it disappeared, though it sucked the kunai with it. I didn't believe it would do anything.

I didn't sleep that night. How could I? I only curled up in the corner of my room, as Naruto, Kakashi, and Yamato stayed in my room too.

The next morning began with the lady at the front desk began yelling at Yamato, while Naruto sat on top of a building and I sat on a bench. I stared at the ground, confused about everything. I didn't know what to do anymore. We sat outside while it snowed as Yamato worked at repairing the building. Once he had, Kakashi and Yamato went back inside, but left us out there.

It was hours, almost time to go to bed, before I started crying again. Dammit. Why did Madara have to bring Itachi up? He had died when he did for me. He could've lived longer.

"Naruto, Koinu, come inside already!" Kakashi said as he popped his head out of our window. I didn't look up. I was freezing, but I didn't care.

"There you are! Finally!" I heard a familiar, heartwarming voice shout. I looked up as Naruto shouted down.

"Sakura! Sai! Kiba! Bushy-brow!" I smiled at Kiba, who was sitting on top of Akamaru. Kiba glanced down from Naruto, and then saw me. His face broke in to a huge grin. He hopped off of Akamaru and ran to me, sweeping me in to a huge hug as I stood up. I laughed and hugged him back, before he finally released me. I wiped the tears off of my face and asked him a question before he could ask me.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked as I smiled.

"Naruto, there's something we have to talk about." I heard Sakura say. I walked over to join the group with Kiba when I heard her say it as Naruto leaped off of the building. I couldn't believe my ears.

"I love you, Naruto." I glanced around. Yamato and Lee were flabbergasted. Kakashi, Kiba, and myself were impassive. Naruto looked confused. I didn't believe it at all though.

"What did... you just say now... Sakura? I... think I... heard you wrong... could you, say it again?" Naruto asked.

"What I said, Naruto... is that I love you." Naruto's face broke in to a huge blush. "I'm saying there's nothing between me and Sasuke anymore! I don't know what I was thinking, liking a person like that. I'm confessing my feelings here, so listen up!" Slowly, Naruto began to look like he didn't trust her.

"But... how? Why? If you tell a joke like that in a situation like this, it ain't funny, Sakura. Just what happened?" He asked.

"Nothing, really I just suddenly realized that there's no sense in continuing to like someone who's a fugitive and a criminal. I can't stay a kid forever... I have to face reality." I wanted to punch her and Naruto in the face. Did he STILL not realize that Hinata truly loved him? "So, Naruto. No need to keep that promise. Won't you stop chasing Sasuke?"

"What the hell are you-?" Yamato was interrupted by Kakashi, who had stopped him.

"Did... did something happen, Sakura? Why me of all people, all of a sudden?" Naruto was still confused, and I don't blame him. I didn't believe her either.

"Nothing happened! If you want to know why I started liking you then I'll say it clearly." There was a pause, before she suddenly rushed forward and hugged Naruto tightly. I raised my eyebrows in shock. "Sasuke just keeps getting further and further from me. But Naruto, you've always stayed by my side. You've encouraged me. I finally realized, who you really are, Naruto.

"The hero who protected the village. Beloved by everyone in the village. I'm just one of them. That mischievous little dummy that I knew, little by little is becoming this great and important man. And I've been watching from right next to him. But all Sasuke's done is commit crimes and break my heart. More and more he's becoming a different person than he was, so distant. But Naruto, you're right here where I can touch you like this, You make me feel safe. Right now, from the bottom of my heart, I-" She was interrupted by Naruto himself.

"Give me a break, Sakura! I told you, that joke's not funny!" Thank god that he didn't believe her either. Good one for Naruto.

"Have you flipped?" Sakura laughed nervously. "I just switched from Sasuke to you. The say a woman's heart is as changeable as as the autumn's sky don't they?"

"I hate people who lie to themselves." Naruto growled seriously.

"Are you, saying that I'm lying to myself?" Sakura asked. "I'm the only one who knows what I'm thinking! If you don't like me then just say so! If you're gonna make up excuses-"

"It's just weird!" Naruto groaned. "Why would you come all the way here to tell me something like that?"

"Something like that?" Sakura asked. "Something like that! You think it's easy for a girl to confess her feelings? All this way! Of course I'd come all this way! You've always been chasing after Sasuke and putting yourself in danger! Akatsuki is after you because you're the Kyuubi's host! You should be worried for your own safety! I don't want you to go after Sasuke if it means putting yourself in danger like that! I've come here because I want you to come back to the village with me! That's all!"

"That just sounds like an excuse to me." Naruto sighed. "I think I know you better than that."

"You don't know anything! I don't care about Sasuke at all anymore now that he's a criminal! So forget about your promise to me!" Sakura shouted.

"This isn't about that promise." Naruto sighed, shaking his head. "I know why Sasuke is so obsessed with revenge. He loved his family and his clan. I think it's because he loved them so much that he can't let them go."

"Then why did he join Akatsuki after he defeated Itachi?" Kiba asked from next to me.

"That's not what happened. The truth is-" Naruto was stopped.

"Naruto!" Kakashi called suddenly. I'm guessing he remembered that last night Kakashi had told us to keep the conversation between all of us. Even though it was true, he didn't want it getting out there.

"It doesn't have anything to do with my promise to you." Naruto said awkwardly. "I want to help Sasuke."

Sakura looked at him for a moment more, before turning on her heel in the snow. "Fine! I'm leaving."

"Yeah... and we're supposed to believe you loved him then?" I muttered, and Kiba chuckled. However, Sakura apparently heard me.

"What did you say, mutt?" She growled, and I raised an eyebrow at her, and snarled. Did she really want to start something?

"Do you, REALLY wanna mess with me right now?" I snarled.

"Yeah, I think I do." Sakura replied as She tightened her gloves on her hands. I growled and went to take my cloak off, but Kiba put his hand on my shoulder.

"Not today you two. Please." He sighed. I rolled my eyes and let go of my cloak, as she turned and left.

"Sai, Lee, Kiba, let's go." She demanded.

"God. You'd think that she was the Hokage herself; the way she acts." I muttered, and Kiba chuckled.

"Well hey. I gotta go." He said in disappointment, but gave me a tight hug, before leaving with that bitch. I rolled my eyes, and walked passed Kakashi, who was looking at me with a raised eyebrow (though I don't know why), and went to my room. I collapsed in the middle of the floor, curled up in my blanket, and fell asleep after I'd warmed up.

**A/N: Hope you liked! Please review with anything! Comments, constructive criticism, ideas or hopes you have for the story! Anything is wanted and greatly appreciated! Thanks! :)**


	27. Reunion

**A/N: I don't own anything Naruto. Only copies of the manga and some DVD's :)  
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**Chapter 27: Reunion  
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I was woken up not too long after I'd gone to sleep, maybe half an hour or an hour by Kakashi sensei. He said that we were going to follow Sai, or a clone of Sai, to Sakura's group and stop them. Apparently they were going to try and kill Sasuke themselves. Kakashi also told me that Naruto and Yamato were going back to the village, so I grabbed my bag and was ready to go.

We must've been following them for only an hour before Sai told us that we were getting close. Only a few minutes later and Sai told us to hurry, because she'd gotten them, and then he disappeared in a splash of ink.

"Alright. I'm going ahead. I'll stop her for you to catch up." I said as I rolled my shoulders, preparing to pick the pace up.

"Ok." I nodded, before tapping in to Garou's power slightly and darted off with the extra speed.

I passed by Lee, Sai, Akamaru, and Kiba's sleeping forms not long after. I'd stopped only momentarily to make sure that they were asleep, before taking right off after Sakura's scent trail. I was nearing the edge of the forest, and I knew I was almost right on her.

"SASUKE!" I heard her scream, and I broke through the trees, sliding to a halt. Sakura was only a few yards from me, on a mountain road. There was a large crater in the middle of it, and on the other side was Sasuke with a Chidori in his hand, standing over the girl from his team. The girl smelled almost dead.

"Sakura, what do you want with me?" Sasuke asked, rolling his eyes.

"Sasuke, I'll follow you! I'll leave Konoha!" She cried, before leaping across the gap to stand only yards from Sasuke. I slid behind a tree, hoping Sasuke hadn't seen me.

"You wouldn't gain anything by following me. What are you plotting?" Sasuke asked, not convinced at all. I smirked slightly. Good ole' Sasuke, always able to see through that idiot's plans.

"I'm not regretting anything! It's just... I've always regretted not going with you when you left Konoha!" Sakura explained. "I'll do whatever you want me to do, I don't want to have regrets anymore."

"Do you know what I want?" Sasuke asked, turning suddenly serious.

"It doesn't matter! I'll do whatever you want!"

"What I want, is to destroy Konoha. Would you really betray Konoha for me?" Sakura hesitated only slightly, but answered nonetheless.

"Yes... I would." She murmured.

"Then you'll have to prove it." Sasuke then pointed down to the girl he was standing over. "If you kill her, then I'll let you come with me."

Sakura, surprisingly, pulled out a kunai. "Who is she?" She asked as she started moving slowly forward.

"one of the members of my team, Taka. As you can see, she's of no use to me now. You were a healer, weren't you, Sakura? You'll make a good replacement for her." Sakura walked forward towards the girl, and I gritted my teeth tightly. If she even went to kill her, Sakura would be dead.

Sakura stood over the girl for a few minutes, before the girl muttered something I couldn't hear as Sasuke charged a Chidori. I snarled and shot forward, at the same time that Kakashi shot out, grabbing Sasuke's arm and pushing it away from Sakura.

"You've fallen, Sasuke." He said in disappointment. Sasuke went to kick him, but Kakashi leaped over his leg and kicked him away.

"Heh. One after the other." Sasuke laughed.

I snarled, and Sasuke turned, seeing me only feet from him. I lunged forward with a Rasengan in my hand, but Sasuke leaped away, before kicking me in my back. I shot forward, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. I leaped over the edge of the crater in the road, joining Kakashi's side in front of Sakura.

"Why are you protecting Sakura, Koinu? You've always hated her. You still do, I can tell." Sasuke asked.

"This isn't about protecting Sakura, idiot." I snarled. I wanted to kill him. I wanted to kill him so bad, but I didn't know what Kakashi would do. So I waited.

"Sakura, were you going to kill Sasuke yourself?" Kakashi asked as he faced Sasuke. "There's no need for you to take that burden on yourself. As the leader of Team 7, it's my fault that this has happened. I said things that I shouldn't have said to reassure you... sorry, I haven't been a very good sensei.

"Sasuke, I hate repeating myself but I'll say it one more time: Don't be consumed by revenge!" Kakashi ordered.

Surprisingly, Sasuke burst in to laughter. Loud, raucous laughter. "Bring me Itachi... and my mother... and my father..." He suddenly said as he stopped laughing. "Bring me my clan! Then I'll stop!" He shouted.

"I don't want to kill you." Kakashi sighed.

"You say it like you actually could! Don't act like I'm still your student, Kakashi! You know I can kill you!" Sasuke shouted back.

"Sakura, heal her and then take her to the village. She knows a lot about the enemy." Kakashi ordered.

"What about you?" Sakura asked.

"As the leader of Team 7 it's my duty. I'll take that burden for you." Kakashi smiled at Sakura. "Now go, and hurry."

I cracked my neck and fingers, ready for a fight. "Koinu, you go too." I looked at Kakashi in shock.

"No way! It's my turn, dammit! You know I want to kill him, so let me do it!" I shouted.

"I'm not letting another student of mine become consumed with revenge." I snorted.

"You already did let it happen! But I came back! I'm not going back, Kakashi. This is purely to see if I can actually protect myself." I answered, calming down a bit. Kakashi looked me in my eyes, and finally nodded.

"Fine, stay here then. But don't get in my way." Kakashi answered as Sakura left. He then turned back to Sasuke and raised up his headband.

"Now I know, how the Third Hokage felt." Kakashi said.

"Then I guess, your fate will be the same as his." Sasuke answered with an evil smirk on his face. "The Sharingan, is the sign of the Uchiha Clan... and you aren't even Uchiha, so don't ever use it around me, you scum!" He shouted as he ran forward at Kakashi.

I reacted instantly, lunging forward and slamming my foot in to his stomach, knocking him away. Sasuke stayed standing, and suddenly conjured some purple, demon skeleton thing around himself. It held a crossbow of sorts, and I gulped.

"Kakashi, i-is that the... Susanoo?" I asked, my eyes wide. I'd only heard of it from Itachi, I'd never actually seen it.

"Yes, it is." He answered, eyes wide himself. Suddenly the demon released an arrow at us, and I created a dark shield, though I didn't believe it would help, around us. I watched the bolt as it shot forward alarmingly fast, but thankfully it disappeared in a swirling vortex. Thank god for Kakashi's Mangekyo.

"I never imagined that a non Uchiha would be able to use the Mangekyo. Looks like that eye saved you." Sasuke said. "You should be grateful to the power of Uchiha."

"Sasuke, I know there's more to you then just your clan. I know there's more than hatred. Take another look, deep inside your heart." Kakashi pleaded.

"Are you still spouting that nonsense?" Sasuke chuckled.

"I know you know." Kakashi answered.

There was a moments pause, before Sasuke answered. "They're all... laughing."

I was shocked. Could he actually be missing the village? Would he come back?

"Itachi's dead so they can stand their laughing! They're laughing because they know nothing!" He then shouted, and I shook my head slightly. I was stupid for thinking he would come back.

Suddenly his Susanoo began morphing and transforming. "Your laughter sounds like scorn and disdain to me now! I want to change that laughter to scream and moans!" He roared.

His Susanoo was weird. It was now a demon with some outer coating, but then it changed back to a skeleton as Sasuke shouted out in pain. His Susanoo disappeared as he grunted, wiping his eyes. I watched, before Sakura suddenly ran at him from behind with a kunai, lunged, but stopped right at his back. She couldn't do it.

"Sakura!" Kakashi and I shouted at the same time, darting forward as Sasuke lunged and grabbed her throat, holding her up in the air. Kakashi grunted and dropped behind me, thanks to the Mangekyo. Sasuke grabbed the kunai out of Sakura's hand, and prepared to use it.

"Stop! Sasuke!" Kakashi shouted.

When he lunged for Sakura, I acted upon some random impulse.

"STOP!" I roared, and it all happened slowly. Naruto appeared, grabbing Sakura out of Sasuke's hand, getting a cut across his cheek. Power from Garou shot out of my lungs and slammed in to Sasuke's sending him shooting off of the ground and on to the water beneath, skidding across it.

Naruto, Kakashi, and I followed after, landing on the water across from Sasuke, though Naruto still held Sakura.

"You must realize now, Naruto," Kakashi explained as Naruto placed Sakura down. "he's not the Sasuke you knew."

"Sasuke." Naruto said as he moved forward a step or two.

"What?"

"I heard the truth about Itachi from Tobi. I don't know if it's true or not, but I understand what you're doing." Naruto said.

"Naruto, I thought I told you. You have no parents, no siblings, what do you understand? It's none of your business so SHUT UP!" Sasuke shouted.

"Do you understand how Naruto feels about you!" Sakura suddenly shouted. "No matter what horrible rumors he's heard he always considered you a friend! Even now..." Sakura trailed off, looking at Naruto in, what was that? Pity?

Sasuke began ranting about how killing everyone in Konoha would purify the Uchiha Clan, blah, blah, blah. Naruto created two clones, but Kakashi stepped in front of them.

"This is my job, you two. Sakura, Naruto, get out of here. If you stay you'll see something you won't want to see. So go before you do." Kakashi sighed, and I smirked as I stepped up to his side.

"But, Koinu?" Naruto asked, and I smirked at him, holding a thumbs up.

"Hey, look. We're finally bonding." I chuckled, and Naruto smirked slightly.

"Kakashi, does that mean, you're going to kill him?" Naruto asked.

"...go!" Kakashi ordered.

Suddenly, the clones Naruto created grabbed us, and Naruto shot forward as he created a Rasengan, Sasuke running forward with a Chidori in hand. The two ran at each other, and collided, slamming their jutsu in to the other's. Quickly, I threw up a shield around us, knowing the outcome of this clash couldn't be good.

There was an explosion, water flew everywhere and I grunted at the amount of concentration it took to keep my shield up so we wouldn't fly away. Naruto's clones disappeared, and it helped to keep my shield up. I let my shield down after the initial explosion, allowing Kakashi to catch Naruto as he flew back.

I glanced past the rocking water between us at Sasuke, to see White Zetsu had caught him. I snarled and shot forward. It was my personal duty to kill the remaining members of Akatsuki. The water settled in to a sheet of water as I ran forward, channeling a Rasengan.

I was only a few yards from Zetsu, before Tobi suddenly swirled in to appearance. I shouted in surprise, sliding to a halt as my Rasengan disappeared. Tobi looked at me, and laughed lightly.

"Koinu, so we meet again?" He chuckled.

I growled and suddenly was surrounded in the black chakra that insinuated I had learned to control Garou. Tobi snickered.

"So, you've learned to control Garou? Congratulations." I glanced at Sasuke and Zetsu to find them staring at me in shock. I lunged forward, but my fist shot straight through Tobi, just like I expected. Suddenly, I was pulling myself back through Tobi to get away, I was suddenly zapped with some sort of electricity, but it was from Tobi and not Sasuke.

I shouted in immense pain. It wasn't like electricity Sasuke shot out. It felt like liquid fire was moving through my veins. Garou's chakra subsided. It was like all of my chakra was being subdued in to one spot that I couldn't use. Tobi then kicked me away, sending me flying away from him and Kakashi and Naruto. I didn't land on the water like I normally would have. Instead I splashed in to the water, feeling paralyzed. I couldn't swim. I was sinking like a stone.

I tried to move. I tried to channel chakra, but it was too painful. Tobi had done something to me to prevent me from using my chakra. I hoped it was only temporary. I was still sinking, I couldn't breathe. To breathe underwater meant to die, and I couldn't die yet. My vision started going fuzzy, and black began surrounding it around the edges. The last thing I remember seeing before passing out was someone swimming above towards me, before they grabbed my wrist. Then blackness surrounded me.

* * *

><p>I woke up to find that someone was carrying me on their back. My head was on their shoulder, and I could see Naruto and Sai in front of us, along with Akamaru walking at their side. I groaned, only to have Naruto and Sai look behind at me.<p>

"Finally!" Naruto laughed, smiling.

"I thought you were never going to wake up." Kiba laughed as he readjusted my weight.

"Thanks, Kiba." I muttered, trying to move. I still couldn't. Dammit, what had that bastard done to me.

"No problemo, Koinu." Kiba smirked.

I tried to force my arm to move, but the pain became overwhelming, and I hissed.

"Dammit, I still can't move." I growled.

"Don't push it, Koinu." Kakashi said from somewhere behind me.

"Tobi did something to your chakra and nerves." Sakura explained from Kiba's side. "It isn't permanent, but it might take a while to heal. I don't know how long though..." Sakura sighed. "If only Tsunade were awake... she'd be able to heal you as soon as we got back to the village."

Suddenly there were ANBU from our village on the road in front of us.

"Sai, what's going on?" The middle one asked.

"I'm sure you know why the curse Danzo placed on us has been released." Sai answered.

"Is he dead?" Sai nodded.

"Yes. So I believe we should discuss what will happen to Root with the new Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, when we get back to the village." I blinked in shock.

"Kakashi's, the new Hokage?" I groaned.

"Maybe." Kakashi answered, before we all moved forward past the ANBU.

Later that day we arrived at Konoha, and Kiba took me straight to the hospital, where I was put in to a bed. Kiba was about to leave my room with Akamaru.

"Thanks again, Kiba." I smiled lightly at him. Kiba looked at me and smiled back.

"Anytime, Koinu." He then left.

A few days passed, and between those days people came and went. Kakashi came in to tell me that this upcoming war was about protecting all of the known Jinchuriki. So mainly Naruto, Killer Bee, and myself. However, I remembered something I had heard a while ago. About another demon holder in a land not too far from Konoha actually. I had completely forgotten about him until now. What if I got him to join us? Then we could have four Jinchuriki to our team. We could be a special unit in the war!

One day, I had special visitor. One I hadn't expected for a while still.

"Tsunade!" I gasped in shock. The old Hokage only smiled.

"How do you always manage to get in these situations, Koinu?" She laughed, before poking and prodding my body. Which was very painful.

"Damn, lady! Could you quit with the- ouch!" I groaned.

"Well, I can fix what Tobi did to you. It'll just be pretty painful." Tsunade said as she rolled her sleeves up.

"Oh well. I'll deal with it." I muttered. Tsunade nodded, before placing her hands over my feet first. Her hands were surrounded by a greenish colored chakra, and my feet felt as if they had needles stabbing in to every cell of my body. I groaned loudly in pain, but bit my tongue to keep from screaming.

Slowly, she moved up my legs. It took probably half an hour just to fix my legs. After she had done my entire body, I felt loads better. I sat up, moving every possible part of my body.

"Thanks." I said as clenched and unclenched my fists.

I stood up and concentrated, before Garou's controlled chakra surrounded me. Tsunade jumped at first, before remembering what had happened after the fight with Pein. The chakra didn't hurt at all to control. I released it, going back to my normal self, and easily created a Rasengan in my hand. I smirked as I let it disappear as Tsunade looked at me.

"You're welcome. Say, what're you going to do now, Koinu? I can see that you have some sort of plan just from your expression." Tsunade smirked.

"I heard a few years ago about a fellow in Hoshigakure that had a demon sealed inside of him too. I was going to go and find him, and see if I could convince him to join us." I answered.

Tsunade stared at me. "You want to have a special unit made up strictly of demon hosts, don't you?"

I nodded. "I think it might be worth the effort." I answered.

Tsunade thought for a few moments, before smiling and nodded. "Alright, you can go. You might want to bring someone with you though, or maybe a few people, just in case."

I nodded. "I'll string together a team. Thank you, Tsunade."

**A/N: Hope you liked it! Please review, I'd really appreciate it!**

**Also, I made a twitter account for my accounts on fanfiction and fictionpress, so follow me for updates on stories that I'm writing and ideas for stories that might pop up!  
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**Twitter: Pikalover10  
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	28. Clan Civil Wars

**A/N: I don't own anything Naruto. Only copies of the manga and some DVD's :)  
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**Chapter 28: Clan Civil Wars  
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After the Hokage had left for a meeting between the Kage's about the war, we stood in front of the Leaf village, ready to go. We wore traveling cloaks over our regular clothes and backpacks. I adjusted my headband, and smiled at my makeshift team. I'd managed to gather Kiba, Hinata, and Lee.

"Ok, so you know what we're doing, right?" I asked, making sure they all knew the plan.

"Yep! We're going to Hoshigakure to find another demon host, and convince them to come back to Konoha with us!" Lee answered, smiling back at me.

"Right. Now, when we get there and find the demon host, let me talk to them. As a fellow demon host I'll be able to relate to them better. Well, all right then! Let's go!" I said, Akamaru barked, and we started towards Hoshigakure.

* * *

><p>We arrived towards the edge of the canyon that surrounded Hoshigakure late that evening. We had stopped, because both Kiba and I could smell that the canyon was surrounded by some sort of poison, though we weren't affected by it yet. We couldn't see it, so therefor we couldn't get through.<p>

"Hinata, can your Byakugan see through?" I asked as I rubbed my nose. The poison's smell was irritating. Hinata activated her Byakugan, and shook her head.

"It doesn't have chakra in it." She sighed as she released her Byakugan.

So we sat by a large oak tree near the poison, hoping a Hoshi ninja would come across us and let us in. Thankfully, that was just the case. Though it was a Hoshi team instead of one ninja. They saw us and looked at us in alarm, forming a battle formation instantly, kunai out. I held my arms up in the air, as did everyone else.

"Calm! We come in peace!" I called out, sounding like an alien. "We're from Konoha! We've come to find someone."

The team's Jonin dropped his kunai slightly, and looked at us through his light brown eyes. He had black hair that went to the base of his neck, his bangs gliding and furling over his headband and wrapping around to the left side of his face.

"Konoha? Is Naruto Uzumaki with you?" The man called out.

No, but I wonder if that's a good or a bad thing. "No, he has some special training to do. Please, we are looking for someone! We'd even be willing to talk to the Hoshikage about it!"

The man placed his kunai away, signaling for his Genin to do the same. "Well then, start talking. Because you're looking at the current Hoshikage: Sumaru." The man answered.

I blinked in surprise, before nodding. I bowed respectfully, and took a few steps forward, so that we were only a few yards from each other.

"Sumaru!" Lee suddenly shouted. "It's awesome to see you! Do you remember me? It's Lee! I was here with Naruto when we destroyed the star!" Lee ran forward and hugged the Hoshikage, who laughed and hugged Lee back.

"Yes, Lee. It's great to see you." He laughed.

"Right, uh, Hoshikage, not to be rude, but is it true that there is a demon host in your village?" I asked.

"Why?" He narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to rat demon host's out to the Akatsuki?" He growled.

"No! Hoshikage, please! I am a demon host myself. Surely you've heard of the war that's upon all of the Great Shinobi Villages?" I asked. The Hoshikage nodded his head slowly.

"Yes, I've heard something about it. Why?" He asked.

"The Akatsuki has managed to capture every tailed beast's Jinchuriki, except for the Hachibi and Kyuubi. Naruto Uzumaki is the Kyuubi's host. I heard a few years ago about a demon host here in Hoshigakure, but now with this war upon us I was hoping to find said demon host and see if he would be willing to join us in a special unit. We are not going to force him to, or to put his life in danger if he does not wish to." I explained.

"Are you just going to ask our demon host?" The Hoshikage asked. I blinked at him. It hadn't even occurred to me that there were multiple demon hosts out in the remote villages. I shook my head.

"We will keep our ears out. If we learn of other demon hosts, we will visit them and ask them to join us." I replied.

"What're your names?" He asked.

"Koinu Hashitaki."

"Hinata Hyuga."

"Kiba Inuzuka."

The Hoshikage nodded. "As you know, I am Sumaru. These are my pupils, Pidate, Rokatu, and Shiko." I nodded. "Come, we will give you lodging in our village for now, and you will be able to meet with our villager tomorrow. He is probably out training right now. Do not worry, he can be a very tough nut to crack, but comes around eventually. If I know him at all he will be willing to join your team, eventually."

I couldn't help but smile the whole way that the Hoshikage and his pupils were leading us through the poison field, down a canyon trail, and in to their village. They showed us to our hotel rooms, where Hinata and I took a room while Lee and Kiba shared the other.

"Thank you, Hoshikage." I thanked him, and he waved his hand absentmindedly.

"Many years ago, Naruto Uzumaki helped our village with a predicament. I promised to help him one day, and this is the least I can do. When you do return to your village, thank and say hello to Naruto for me would you?" I nodded.

"Of course, Hoshikage."

"Please, call me Sumaru for the remainder of your stay here." I nodded.

"All right, Sumaru."

* * *

><p>The next morning we found ourselves eating with Sumaru in his personal room. It was awkward, but I didn't say anything as I tucked in to my bowl of pork ramen. Lee and Sumaru were talking in to some account about the last time they'd seen each other. We were sitting at a long table, Sumaru and myself at the ends facing each other, with Hinata on the right side in the middle and Kiba and Lee on the left side. Kiba sat closest to me while Lee sat closest to Sumaru.<p>

I was drinking the broth out of the bowl of ramen, when the door slid open. I sat my bowl down with a content sigh, broth still lingering on my face before I looked at who had walked in. It was a boy, who looked to be about thirteen or fourteen. He had spiky, royal blue hair that stuck out wherever it pleased. He wore a pair of black pants, and a black sleeveless shirt with a high collar. He had a brown belt on, though it seemed to be there only for show, as it dropped below his pant's belt loops. He also had a dark burgundy scarf around his neck with black gloves that went halfway up his biceps on too. He had two swords strapped across his back, so that they were in an 'X' shape. He had a green tattoo on his left shoulder, in an odd swirling pattern. He wore a Hoshigakure headband around his neck, propped over his scarf. The most distinguishing feature, however, were his bright, purple eyes.

"Ah, Chiyuki! There you are!" Sumaru exclaimed.

"Who're these four Konoha ninja?" The boy asked, his fingers twitching as if he wanted to go for his sword.

"They want to talk to you, Chiyuki."

"Is he the demon host?" I asked Sumaru, who nodded, and Chiyuki only snarled.

"So that's what they want! I'm just another demon host to them! They're probably going to take me to the Akatsuki, so that I can die and then Koumori can be one of their tools!" Chiyuki snarled, and I sighed, shaking my head.

"No, that's not it, Chiyuki. Just listen. I'm Koinu, from the Hidden Leaf Village." I said as I stood up. "And I too, am a demon host alongside Naruto Uzumaki from the Hidden Leaf and Killer Bee from Kumogakure. Yes, it is true that the Akatsuki want every demon that they can get their hands on. It'll only make them stronger. You are aware of the impending ninja war between all of the villages and the Akatsuki, yes?" Chiyuki nodded.

"Then, it has come to my attention that if we gather more demon hosts, we can form a special unit just for ourselves." Chiyuki was still looking at me, doubtful. "Chiyuki, how old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"How many years of your life has been spent trying to make people realize that you aren't a demon? That you aren't something that'll hurt someone at every corner? How long have you spent trying to get people to accept you?"

"...fourteen."

"Chiyuki, I guarantee that with this war, you will be helping many innocent people. You'll come back a hero, easily." Chiyuki looked in to my eyes, and then looked at the ground between us, crossing his arms over his chest as he thought. Then, he shook his head.

"Hoshikage, I'm going on that mission you told me about yesterday." He said, as if we weren't even there.

"Is your team going?" Sumaru asked, looking at me apologetically.

"No. They're too cowardly." Chiyuki replied.

"As they very well should be! You shouldn't go out by yourself!" Sumaru shouted suddenly, turning his entire body to face Chiyuki.

"Sir, you told me about this mission, because you knew I could handle it! I'm about to be a Jonin! I'm the best swordsman in the entire village! I can take care of myself!" Chiyuki shouted. "I'm going, and that's it!"

A moment later Chiyuki had stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Sumaru sighed and rubbed the temples of his forehead as he turned back to face us.

"Sumaru?" Kiba asked hesitantly. "Exactly what kind of mission did Chiyuki just decide to go on?"

Sumaru sighed, as if he were an old, weary man. "There are four clans of bandits around our village. While we used to be raided by them, we've recently shown them not to mess with us, and they haven't since. However, the four clans HATE each other. It's like a blood feud. If they see someone from one of the clans they'll kill them on the spot, or die trying.

"There's the Nagasaki Clan, the Thigaku Clan, Ramonik Clan, and the Akataru Clan. They all hate each other, and come to us to resolve political problems. Unless someone is killed, then it doesn't matter. However, lately clan members from the Nagasaki, Ramonik, and Akataru Clans have been disappearing. As none from the Thigaku Clan has gone missing, the other Clans think that they're kidnapping their people. It has gotten to the point of an almost full blown civil war between them.

"If that happens, I'm afraid Hoshigakure will be caught in the middle of it. I told Chiyuki about this, and he said he'd personally go and figure out what's going on. Though, I'm afraid that the Thigaku members will think we are accusing them and go off. I'm not sure what is going to happen." Sumaru sighed. I blinked and then smirked.

"Well, that settles it then." Everyone looked at me as I stood up. "We're just going to have to go and help Chiyuki out!"

* * *

><p>We had moved out, following Chiyuki's scent until we reached a town. The town consisted of people moving about. They carried wood, water, were eating, playing... just doing whatever a normal village did. However, as soon as they saw us, everything seemed to stop as they stared at us. I unconsciously pulled my cloak's collar up further than it already was.<p>

"Why are they staring at us?" I hissed.

"Who knows?" Lee answered.

We continued walking down the main street of the village. The surrounding buildings of the village were all wooden buildings it seemed. Suddenly, I stopped as a best of a man lumbered in front of us, a large sword strapped to his back. He wore loose, white and black pants with a leather strap across his chest holding the sword. He was tall, much taller than I was, and had black, pitiless eyes. He had a large frame, and visible muscles.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his voice low and gruff.

"Has a Hoshi ninja come through lately?" I asked, ignoring his question. The man glared at me.

"No. Now what are you doing here?" He asked again.

"What clan is this?"

"The Ramonik Clan. What are you doing here?" He persisted, and I sighed in defeat.

"We're looking for a Hoshi Ninja who came to one the clans to help solve your kidnapping problem."

"It's been solved! The Thigaku scum have been kidnapping the clans' people!" I sighed.

"I'm sure that's not what's happen-"

"It's what is happening! You four are outsiders! You don't know the clans! Now leave!" I snarled, but complied. We turned and left.

"Chiyuki's not here?" Kiba asked, his voice low as we walked back down the street we'd followed coming up. Everyone glared at us still, while standing still. It really annoyed me. I nodded to Kiba.

"He must've had a clone lead a fake trail. I can't believe I fell for it." I snarled.

So when we left the village we backtracked. Eventually, I found the tiniest of scents from Chiyuki split off. He must've been very good at disguising his scent. "Alright. Here we go. We'll have to pick the pace up if we want to catch up to him soon." Everyone nodded, and I darted off along Chiyuki's scent, Kiba at my side as he followed it too. Akamaru was at Kiba's heels and Lee and Hinata followed us.

The sun had set before we arrived to the next village. However, unlike the last one, nobody paid us any attention. I liked it better that way. However, I lost Chiyuki's scent, as did Kiba. All of the scents mixed together throughout the day made the scent get lost in the confusion.

We walked down the main street, a few people looking at us, but never stopped. There seemed to be a rather large ramen stand, a lot bigger than Ichiraku's stand was. I figured that Chiyuki may have stopped in there, and the man might know him. Either way, I was starving. And I knew that my teammates must be too.

So we stopped in for a bite to eat. The stand had a large area surrounded on all four sides by benches. In the middle they had everything to make the ramen. It was set up for more people to eat than four or five at a time. So we all grabbed seats. I sat between Kiba and Hinata, Lee on Hinata's side and Akamaru sitting underneath Kiba's feet.

"What'll it be?" The chef asked with a smile on his face from his cooking station.

"Pork for me." I answered.

"Chicken." Hinata replied.

"Two bowls of beef." Kiba said as he rubbed Akamaru's head.

"And Shrimp for me." Lee finished. The chef nodded as he began making our food.

I glanced around. There were only a few other people sitting down. It must've either been early for their rush hour, or we'd missed it. Good. I pulled the top of my cloak open, settling in a bit as I crossed my arms on the bar, leaning over so that I could talk to the chef.

"Excuse me?" I said.

"Yeah? Need another bowl?" The chef asked as he looked up at me, and I shook my head.

"I was actually wondering if you'd seen a friend of ours." I replied.

"I see a lot of people everyday." The chef answered, rolling his eyes. I bit my lip in an attempt not to kill him.

"Yes, I understand." I replied coldly, and my calm gaze turned in to a glare. "Our friend is a Hoshi ninja. Blue hair, about fourteen. Two swords on his back, purple eyes. Really odd fellow. I'm pretty sure you'd remember him."

The chef looked back at the food he was cooking, before smiling lightly and nodded.

"Yeah, I remember him. He came in a few hours ago. Said he was going to go talk to Chief." He answered.

"Where's your Chief at?" I asked. The chef pointed down a narrow street.

"Take that street, and take the third right. The alley opens up in to a large courtyard surrounded by buildings. You have to state your business to a few guards, and if they think you're alright you can go in with them escorting you." He told me. I nodded in thanks.

"One more question. What clan is this?"

"The Thigaku. You here because of all of this kidnapping business?"

"Sort of. We're here to help our Hoshi friend; who's here because of the kidnapping business."

A few minutes later, all of our food was ready. We all tucked in, eating our food happily. After we'd finished, we payed and thanked the chef, before following his directions to the Chief's place. We reached the courtyard, and sure enough there were two visible men that held the hilt of a large sword. The points of the blades were dug lightly in to the ground.

"State your business!" One of the men called from across the courtyard.

"We wish to speak to the Chief!" I called out. "We were told that a Hoshi ninja came here, and we're here to help said Hoshi ninja!"

One of the men nodded, and opened a slat in the wooden door, were I saw the glint of eyes before the man turned and began whispering to the person inside. The slat closed, and we waited a good twenty minutes before the door opened. Chiyuki walked in to the glistening moonlight, and looked across at us. He sighed.

"Why're you guys here?" He snarled.

"We're here to help!" I said. Chiyuki glared at me for a few minutes, and I snarled. "Please, Chiyuki. Let us help you." I sighed.

Chiyuki stared at me for a few more minutes, before his shoulders loosened and he nodded. "Come on in. There's a lot to tell you." He sounded exhausted. Almost miserable. As if he'd been told the worse news in the world.

We were led down a hallway, up a set of stairs, and through another winding hallway before we were led in to a room with a man sitting in a chair, staring out a window. He had long, brown hair and a set of white robes. He had dark brown eyes, and looked puzzled.

"Yorun, these are the Konoha ninja I told you about." Chiyuki said as he shut the door behind us, and sat down at a table. The man turned and smiled at us.

"Hello. I am Yorun, Chief of the Thigaku Clan." He stood up and bowed, and instantly we all bowed lower.

"Hello Chief Yorun. I am Koinu of Konohagakure. This is Kiba, Lee, Hinata, and Kiba's ninja dog, Akamaru. All from Konohagakure. We're here to help clear your name, as I'm sure you are innocent?" I asked the last as a question, and the chief nodded and sighed.

"Yes, we are innocent." He muttered.

"So is there a way we can, I don't know, write up a treaty between the clans?" I asked as we all sat down around the table. Yorun shook his head, and Chiyuki rubbed his.

"That's the thing I need to tell you about, Koinu." Chiyuki sighed.

I coughed and looked at Chiyuki, who looked distraught. Minutes went by in silence, before I slammed my hand down on the table.

"Well tell me already!" I demanded, and Chiyuki sighed again.

"The Nagasaki, Ramonik, and Akataru Clans have planned to go to war against the Thigaku Clan tomorrow. Yorun had a spy placed in each clan near their Chiefs, and they each heard the conversations." Chiyuki looked up at me over his hands.

"If we don't stop them, tomorrow the Thigaku Clan will be slaughtered."

**A/N: Sorry that this is a smaller chapter. Also, sorry it took a bit longer to post this chapter up! I've been a bit busy lately!**

**Please review! It means alot! Constructive criticism is appreciated too!  
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